I'll write your name
by BlackpoolQueen
Summary: Football superstar Clara Oswald isn't one to trust relationships. However, when she meets supermodel Amy Pond, she feels something just clicks between them. With both having unconventional careers, the pressure of the media and her own fears, Clara knows this isn't going to be her easiest battle.
1. Nice to meet you, where you've been?

**A/N:** Okay! I've been gone for a while but I promise it was for a good reason. I have quite a few chapters written and a lot of the outline done so this fic has a good looking future. I'll try my best to update once a week but I'm not making any promises. I know the first couple of chapters might sound a bit stupid but bare with me, I'm going somewhere with this. That being said, I hope you like this new AU!

* * *

 **Chapter I - Nice to meet you, where you've been?**

"I don't know..."

"Oh, c'mon, Clara! It'll be fun!"

"Jenny, I don't know the first thing about fashion. I don't even get why they invited me!"

"Who cares about why they invited you? It's a free ticket to see beautiful women walking around in lingerie, you can't argue with that!" Jenny was her best friend and her right-hand woman on the field. They had known each other since they were 17, and if there's one thing Jenny knew how to do was to convince Clara to do things she wasn't sure about.

Clara sighed. She had known from the start she would give in. "Okay, fine. I'll go." Jenny threw her arms up in victory as if she had just scored a goal. "But I'm not staying for the afterparty", Clara added.

"We'll work on that when we're there," Jenny said laughing.

Clara walked the pink carpet with a few other teammates, and the paparazzi were all over them. She had it a little worse than the other girls; she was the captain and generally recognised as the team's MVP. Little girls looked up to her and younger players admired her and hoped to be as good as she was.

Clara was definitely outside her comfort zone walking in heels and a designer dress. Two huge defenders coming at her? Sure, she could handle that. Fashion on the other hand...It's not that she didn't like it or that she didn't care, she was just scared of messing up. She had played it safe by choosing a short black dress that had easily costed more than she had made in her first two years as a professional footballer.

She smiled and posed with her teammates -both for the photographers and for their own phones, taking pictures that would most likely end up on Instagram-, wishing she could fast-forward the whole thing and get to her seat. She even had to stop for a couple interviews at the end of the carpet. It was pretty annoying that the questions were the same each time, though that allowed her to answer in autopilot.

"How are you doing?"

"Oh, everything's been so much fun so far. I can't wait to see the show." _More like can't wait to be out of this stupid heels_.

"Who are you wearing tonight?"

"I'm wearing Ellie Saab. I'm in love with this dress." _It's fine, I'd rather be in my jersey._

"Who are you most excited to see at the show?"

"I'm dying to see Taylor Swift, I love her." _Okay, that's true. I hope I can keep my chill having her so close. Oh my stars, what if I embarrass myself on TV? I'll have to tell Jenny to keep an eye on me._

Once they were finally free to take their seats, Clara grabbed her phone and uploaded a selfie Jenny, Martha -the left forward-, Susan -the goalkeeper- and her had taken at the carpet to Instagram. Once she was done, she started fiddling nervously with her rings. Her teammates chatted excitedly while she busied herself looking around. They were seating on the second row to the left of the runway. There were celebrities everywhere, from musicians to actors and actresses...she was pretty sure a member of One Direction was sitting right across the room from her. It was clear that the organisers were emphasising the British stars in the audience, with the show being in London for the first time and all.

The lights dimmed and a voice spoke over the applauses. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome...to the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!"

Models started walking the runway. Clara was first stricken by their beauty and their amazing bodies. She was certain some of the girls would at least match her workout resistance, one or two could probably even beat her. Secondly, she was surprised at how carefree and playful the show was. It was nothing like other fashion shows she had seen; models here smiled, waved and danced on the runway. Clara hated to admit it but she was having fun. She was even embarrassed that the crowd cheered for the models like they cheered for her team when they stepped on the field and she didn't know most of them.

Clara was singing along with Jenny when Taylor Swift performed her first song. Around the second chorus, a model stepped out to the runway. She had beautiful long ginger hair and the fairest skin. Her slender body moved gracefully through the runway, her strong and impossibly long legs strutting on high heels the colour of pearls. She had the most gorgeous white lacy ensemble and golden angel wings.

Honestly, nothing really differentiated her from the other models, except the way she looked at Clara.

Mostly, the models glanced at the cameras on the catwalk, and every now and then looked at the audience. However, the ginger girl looked straight to Clara with a smirk on her glossy lips and blew her a kiss.

It was so unexpected that time stopped for the brunette. The only thing that got to her apart from the model's eyes was the faint sound of Taylor's voice.

 _But I got a blank space, baby,_

 _And I'll write your name._

All too soon the model was at the end of the runway smiling towards the cameras and walking back, playfully winking at the singer when she smiled at her, before disappearing from view. Clara was thankful for the dim light that covered the audience, because it hid the redness that crept to her cheeks. She looked around once she recovered but no one seemed to have noticed the interaction. She concluded that it was probably a pretty normal thing for models to do at the show, and that it wasn't anything special.

The show carried on. The ginger model walked the runway twice more, but she never looked towards the footballer. Somehow, Clara managed to recover the easiness she had felt at the beginning of the show and enjoyed the performances. Nevertheless, when the models appeared one last time before wrapping the show, Clara could have sworn _that_ model glanced at her again, but shily, like she didn't want Clara to notice. By then, Clara was toying with the idea of staying for the afterparty just to see that girl. Who knew? Maybe it could be fun...

* * *

The show was over and the athletes were walking towards the car that would take them to the party.

"So, how much convincing will we have to do to get you to come with us, Clara?", Susan asked.

"It's fine, Jenny already explained I don't really have a choice here", she replied in fake annoyance. "But I want you guys to keep in mind that we have a game coming next week and training tomorrow afternoon. I imagine Sarah Jane would appreciate us not showing up hungover", she added in a more serious tone.

"Relax, Cap. The coach won't even notice we came to a party," Martha assured her.

Clara simply nodded. She knew the girls respected her and would take her advice, but she worried nonetheless. Sometimes she felt like a mother, one who had four barely legal children in the beginning of their careers who didn't need to gain a reputation of party girls. Male footballers were indulged for something like that, but women didn't have that luxury. The younger girls in the team still had to learn that.

The party was mostly boring at first. Clara didn't really know anyone personally, and she wasn't sure of how to act around those people. However, not long after she entered, people started coming up to her to tell her that she was a great player or that they always watched the team. Some even asked to take pictures with her. She was surprised that celebrities that famous would give a damn about football, let alone about her team. She was as friendly as she possibly could, thinking it would be good for them to get all the extra publicity they could.

Finally, the models and performers of the night got to the party. They were the centre of attention and the ones in charge of the fun. Music played a little louder and the dance floor was crowded.

She was walking around a little with Jenny when she spotted Taylor Swift and a group of models sitting at a lounge area. A model was sitting on the singer's lap, laugher and drinks were all around and they seemed to be having the most fun. And sitting right in front of the American singer, Clara saw the ginger model.

She froze in her spot for a moment, daydreaming about approaching them. She wouldn't actually do it, of course.

"Look, Clara! Taylor's right there!" Jenny pointed out the obvious. Clara managed to emit a muttered response. "Go say hi", the Londoner proposed.

"Are you crazy? No, there's no way I'm going anywhere near them", she answered defensively.

"Oh, c'mon! What are you afr-" she didn't get to finish her sentence because a loud voice interrupted them.

"Clara Oswald!", the voice called. She hoped she had heard wrong, but she was pretty sure the voice came from the group they had just been spying on.

She turned towards them and saw a blonde girl coming her way. She knew this model, but only from magazines. She was English too.

The model put an arm around her shoulders and turned to the group.

"Amy, look who I've found!", the blonde said excitedly, and the ginger model blushed. _So that's her name._ "Hi, I'm Cara", she told the footballer. Clara could tell she was a little drunk.

"Yeah, I know", Clara said, eliciting a laugh from the group. The model pulled her towards the rest of the girls, and Clara gestured for Jenny to follow her, but her best friend shook her head and walked away after mouthing ' _have fun_ '. "You have to sit with us, have a drink. We're so alone with all these Yankees."

"So, Clara, these are Taylor, Karlie, Gigi, Martha, Lily and Amy. She's your biggest fan."

Clara was a little overwhelmed, so she had to sit before she could say something. _What does she mean 'my biggest fan'?_

"Hi", she said a little weakly.

"Nice to meet you", Taylor said. Clara was quite starstruck and she struggled to find something to say. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"I think you broke her, Tay", the model now identified as Gigi joked.

The model sitting on Taylor's lap, Karlie, defended her. "She's a fan!" She looked at Clara. "I saw you singing when we were on stage", she explained.

"Yeah. Sorry, I just wasn't expecting to actually meet you tonight. You were amazing", Clara managed, snapping out of her trance.

Taylor laughed. _Taylor Swift laughed at something I said_. "Don't worry, I get that all the time. I'm glad you liked the show. Though these are the real rockstars", she said pointing at the models.

"Absolutely, you guys are awesome", Clara agreed, feeling a little more confident.

"Not like you're far behind. You _killed it_ at the Champions League. It sucked that you couldn't make it to the final, those bloody German girls, man..." Cara said. "She's a football player", the model explained to the confused-looking American girls.

"Let me translate: she plays soccer. Actual football, not that weird sort-of-rugby thing you guys like. And she's awesome at it, by the way." For the first time, it was the ginger model who spoke. She had a Scottish accent, and now that she was closer, Clara could see her hazel eyes. _Just as I thought this girl couldn't get more enchanting._

"That's _so_ cool! I wouldn't be able to kick a ball straight to save my life", Taylor said smiling.

Clara tried to push away the curiosity she felt for the Scottish model and focused on the singer. "It's not that hard. I'll teach you sometime."

Karlie snorted. "Good luck with that. Once I tried to teach her a couple basic ballet moves...Those were the most frustrating fifteen minutes of my life before I gave up on her."

A couple more jokes were made at Taylor's expense. Clara was glad that the attention had shifted from her, because she could concentrate solely on Amy.

From the conversation she learnt that it was Amy's first time as a Victoria's Secret angel, but she had obviously been friends with the other girls for quite some time. She was about to turn 22, because Cara said something about making Taylor sing that song at a birthday party she was planning for the Scot.

Clara didn't even notice that she was drowning drink after drink. They kept being placed in front of her and she had lost count of how many she had had, but she was pretty sure that she wasn't drunk yet.

The conversation then turned to a discussion on who was the strongest, Martha or Karlie. After they had both described their workout routines, they still couldn't reach an agreement.

"Okay, let's ask someone else, then. Clara, you're the most qualified of us to say. Who wins?"

Clara had been busy eye-fucking Amy so she hadn't really paid much attention to what was being said. "Um...I don't know, I haven't seen any of you in action." An idea popped into her head and for some reason it sounded like the best idea ever. "Maybe you should come training with the team tomorrow! We have an afternoon training session. I'm sure the coach won't mind."

"Really? That sounds fantastic!" Cara said excitedly. "I'm so in."

Lily and Gigi were occupied already, but the main competitors agreed in a heartbeat. Despite being hesitant initially, the singer also accepted the offer once Clara assured her that they would go easy on her.

"How about you? Want a look behind the scenes?", she said to Amy with a smirk and a confidence she didn't know she possessed outside the field. _Okay, maybe I am a little drunk._

"Wouldn't miss it for the world", the model answered with a seductive smile of her own.

Eventually, everyone -except Cara- agreed that it was time to get some sleep. Clara handed her phone to the girls so they could add their phone numbers and gave them her own. She pretended not to notice that she saw a picture of herself wearing England's jersey in Amy's lockscreen.

At the exit, Clara said goodbye to her new friends. "So I'll see you guys tomorrow, then."

"Definitely. Can't wait to kick this dork's pretty ass", Martha said nodding towards Karlie.

"Yeah, yeah. Save your words to tell the doctor where it hurts. You're gonna need them", the taller girl backfired.

"Okay, I think that's enough trash talk for the day, Sunshine", Taylor declared pulling Karlie to the door. She turned to the footballer one last time before leaving. "It was nice to meet you, Clara. See you tomorrow."

The brunette waved at her and the models as they left. Amy was the last one to step outside. "Bye, Clara", she said with a wink before crossing the threshold, making Clara's strong legs want to give in.

"Bye", came the almost inaudible reply.

 _Oh my stars, what is happening?_

* * *

A/N: I'm looking forward to reading your coments and/or suggestions. You can check out a picspam and a gif set over on tumblr that go with this fic (just go to the Clamy tag and you'll find them)


	2. Love's a game, wanna play?

**Chapter II - Love's a game, wanna play?**

The drive to the training facility was short, but to Clara it seemed like it took ages. She had woken up three hours before, had had lunch and a shower, grabbed her keys and her sunglasses and headed out. She sipped obsessively from a bottle of Powerade, trying to recover some of the energy she had lost the night before.

It all still seemed unreal, having spent the party with an international superstar and a squad of Victoria's Secret Angels...It was beyond her most bizarre dreams. Meeting Amy, though, that was beyond her _wildest_ dreams.

Clara was reluctant to getting ahead of herself. Sure, Amy seemed to be _interested_ in her, to say the least, but that didn't mean that the model would ask her out or anything. Maybe she just was a fan, like hundreds of other girls in the country.

Finally, the striker made it to training. She had arrived early, which was good because she still had to tell her coach and other people that she had drunkenly invited a bunch of supermodels to train with the team. She decided that she should probably keep the 'drunkenly' part to herself.

After some convincing, Clara managed to have everything ready for training. Sarah Jane didn't give her such a hard time, but she did tell Clara that if her friends disrupted training in any way, the whole team would have a double session the next day and the captain would be responsible.

Almost exactly as she finished her conversation with the coach, Clara received a text from Cara saying that they were on their way. Clara rushed to the field to tell her teammates about their guests. The players had already gathered for training. Some were playing around with a ball, others -the ones who had attended the fashion show and afterparty the night before- were just sitting on the grass still trying to wake up entirely.

"Okay, girls, listen up!", the captain started. "We're gonna have some guests coming over to train with us today. Make them feel welcome and show them a good time, alright?"

"Wait, who's coming?", asked Susan, seemingly more awake all of the sudden.

"A few models I met last night. They're all very nice, I'm sure you'll love them." Just as the brunette finished speaking, a group of tall blondes and a ginger were crossing the field headed towards them. Some of the footballers gasped in awe at their company.

"Clara!", shouted Cara as she ran to hug the player.

Clara laughed at the model's antics. "Hey, Cara." She greeted the other girls and turned to the team. "Girls, these are Cara, Martha, Karlie, Taylor and Amy. Be nice to them or you'll be running laps the whole week", she joked.

Sarah Jane set them to work on some light bodybuilding workout. The new girls all blended in with the footballers, except for one.

"Hey". Amy's long red curls were trapped in a tight bun. Her legs somehow seemed even longer than Clara remembered them when barely covered by her fucsia Nike shorts. Even though she didn't have an ounce of makeup on, she still looked like an angel.

"Hey", Clara replied. She couldn't tell if Amy was blushing because of the smile she had given her or because of the afternoon sun. She hoped it was the former. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I already told you, I wouldn't miss it for the world." She was repeating her words from the night before, however this time it sounded more sincere rather than seductive. Clara's big brown eyes got caught in Amy's hazel ones. She wanted to say something -anything, but words just wouldn't come out.

"Hey, Clara! Care to join us, captain?" Sarah Jane's voice broke the moment between them, and the footballer sighed. Whether it was in relief or annoyance, she couldn't say.

"Coming, coach!"

* * *

Once the physical part of training was over, it was clear that the models could definitely keep up with the footballers. Martha and Karlie had barely even sweated, and Amy wasn't far behind. Cara had decided that she would joke around rather than exercise, and busied herself mostly teasing Taylor for trying so hard and exhausting herself in the process.

They took a little break, after which they would do some reduced game practice.

"Okay, shall we do models versus pros?", Martha Jones suggested.

"Oh, hell no!", jumped Cara. "You're gonna kick our sorry asses all over the field! Also, I don't want Taylor on my team, we'd lose, for sure."

"Hey!", the singer protested, but everyone laughed. "We should put Martha and Karlie in different teams. I mean, they're the ones fighting, after all."

In the blink of an eye, two teams of five players plus a goalkeeper each had been formed. Team Karlie was formed by Karlie, Taylor, Jenny, Susan, the right centre back Rose, Clara and left full back Donna. Team Martha had both Martha's -the model and the footballer-, Cara, centre midfielder Ace, second goalkeeper Barbara and Amy. It was on.

However the seriousness of the game didn't last much. Except for Cara -who was actually pretty good-, the models and the singer had a hard time controlling the ball, and the match got very playful very fast. All of the sudden, Cara was scolding her colleague Martha for "ruining her brilliant play", Taylor was chasing Karlie, who was laughing at how the singer had gotten soaking wet when she had failed to catch a bottle of water Rose had thrown at her.

The match was tied 1-1 with ten minutes of training left. Clara had the ball and was heading straight for the goal. However, a ginger model came at her determined to stop her, even though she lacked the ability. Clara had pretty much left her behind when two thin arms illegally wrapped around her waist, making the striker squeal. Amy pressed her full against her front as she laughed, proud of having successfully detained Clara.

"Ow, Amy! That's not fair!", the footballer complained, laughing as well and struggling to free herself from Amy's grasp. Nevertheless, when she turned to face the model, their laughter died down, tension and silence settling between them. Clara looked up into those hazel eyes that had haunted her the entire previous night and couldn't stop her eyes from getting a glimpse of her pink, tempting lips.

"I would've scored", the brunette said to stop herself from doing something she might regret.

"'Course you would've. This seemed like more fun, though", the model replied with a cheeky smirk and wrapping her arms slightly tighter around the shorter girl's waist.

Eye contact was finally broken when Amy looked away, distracted by the sounds of more laughter coming from around them. When Clara had lost the ball, it had rolled to Taylor's feet, who was conveniently standing on the perfect spot to shoot. Somehow, the kick was good enough and she scored. Immediately, the singer had tackled Karlie to the ground in a hug of celebration, and then proceeded to make fun of Cara as payback for all her teasing.

In no time, training was over and they were all heading to the showers as Karlie's team loudly sang _We Are The Champions_ , mocking Martha's team.

"It was really nice meeting you, Clara. We need to get together again next time we're here", Karlie said. The models were saying goodbye to the footballer after leaving the locker room. The Americans and Cara were flying back to the States that night.

"Or give us a call if you ever go to New York", the singer added.

"Sure!", Clara replied excitedly. "It really was lovely to meet you all." She hugged her new friends and walked them to their cars.

"Are you going back too?" She had been afraid to hear Amy's answer: she didn't want her to leave.

"Nope, I travel a lot but I'm based in London. I'm staying home for a few weeks."

Clara's eyes lightened up at the possibility of seeing Amy again soon. She hoped that she didn't sound too hopeful when she asked. "Do you want to...hang out? Soon maybe? We can grab dinner or coffee or something." Clara swore kicking the last penalty at a shootout at the World Cup final would be less stressful than this.

"Dinner sounds great. Tomorrow. I'll text you my address so you can pick me up at 7." _Did she just agree to go on a date with me?_

"It's a date." Clara wanted to slap herself for saying such a stupid line.

"You bet it is", the model said before entering her car.


	3. I can read you like a magazine

A/N: I am SO sorry, I have no excuses. Mid terms and the halloween party I'm throwing and cosplaying have been taking over my life. I really am sorry. I'll update again during the weekend to make up for it.

* * *

 **Chapter III - I can read you like a magazine**

Clara looked over her shoulder even though she there was no one else in her apartment. Almost as if playing it by an accident, the footballer typed in her current obsession on her browser. Amy Pond.

She took a sip of her tea while the website loaded. She couldn't really come up with a good excuse as to why she was googling Amy instead of just asking whatever she wanted to know. She guessed she was a little embarrassed for being nosy. The first result was the model's Wikipedia page, followed by image results and latest news.

 _ **Amelia Jessica Pond**_ _, known as_ _ **Amy Pond**_ _, is a Scottish model born in_ _Inverness_ _,_ _Scotland_ _on April 3rd,_ _1993_ _. She has appeared in several magazines, ad campaigns and fashion shows since her debut in 2010. In 2012 she was chosen by_ _Vogue magazine_ _as one of the 'rising supermodels to watch'_ _[_ _1_ _]_ _. In September 2014 she was presented as the newest face of_ _Victoria's Secret_ _._

The text went on and on about her modeling achievements, but it didn't say much about her personal life. She eyed some tabloid headlines that popped up in her search, some of which were hardly-believable articles speculating about her love life. She was accused of dating actors, male models, and even the Prince, but none of those seemed real.

Clara gave up on reading and went to the image search. Not that she knew anything about how to be a good model, but Amy was _really_ good. Well, at least that was how Clara saw it. Her eyes always captured the footballer's, and her poses were delicate, strong, everything the shoot required them to be. She had even landed Vogue covers in Asia.

Obviously, shots of her Victoria's Secret holiday campaign appeared too. Clara shifted in her seat at the sight of those long, beautiful legs, her toned abdomen, her cheeky smile and seductive eyes. Amy looked _hot_. She would deny it if asked, but Clara bit hard on her bottom lip to distract herself from letting her hand slide into her pyjama bottoms.

The brunette couldn't stop herself and grabbed her phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found one of the most recent ones.

 **Clara** : _So where do you want to go tomorrow? I don't know what kind of food you like :P_

Actually, Clara just didn't want to mess up the diet Amy was surely on. She didn't even have time to put her mobile down before the reply came in.

 **Amy** : _Technically I'm a vegan but you asked me out so you choose._

 _This girl is too nice. How is it that she agreed to go out with me?_ , Clara thought. The girl did a quick search and found a fancy-looking vegan restaurant. _Perfect_.

 **Clara** : _Vegan it is, then. I've never had vegan food so you'll have to order for me._

 **Amy** : _Get ready, I'm gonna blow your mind ;)_

Clara stared blankly at the screen for a second. Being the object of Amy's flirting was still very new, even if her ex had been the most flirtatious person she had ever met. Too bad she's not around anymore.

 **Clara** : _Can't wait ;) xx_

The footballer, sitting on her bed, searched her contacts again and found her best friend.

"Hello, stranger! Did you get tired of the models already?", came Jenny's voice from the other end.

"Shut up. I'm going on a date with Amy", Clara spoke fast, nervousness obvious in her voice.

"The Scottish one? She's cute. Congrats, girl. How did she ask you?"

"I asked her. I dunno how, I just did it", Clara said honestly. "I really like this girl, Jenny."

"Shit, Clara. I hadn't heard you sound like that since-"

"Shut up, just shut up. Don't say her name, don't even bring her up again." Clara hated to sound so upset, but Jenny knew better than anyone why she shouldn't mention the striker's ex girlfriend.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Jenny sounded sincerely sorry. "Well, she does seem to have quite a crush on you. If you try a little you could have her in your bed by this time tomorrow", she said half-seriously, lightening the mood.

Clara was thankful that her friend couldn't see her blush. "You're impossible to talk to", she replied in fake annoyance.

"I know." Jenny sounded proud of it. "I'm really happy for you though. It's about time you get a girlfriend. Can't be a lone ranger forever, you know?"

The Lancastrian smiled to herself, glad to have such a caring friend and hopeful about a possible relationship with the Scottish model. "Yeah, I know. I'm only getting older, I can't spend my life traumatized over something that happened so long ago." She wasn't an innocent eighteen-year-old anymore.

"That's my girl." Clara heard Jenny's wife calling her on the background and smiled to herself. She had always admired their relationship, and she often found herself wishing to have what they had. "Gotta go, love. The wife is calling. Good luck on your date."

"Thank you, I'll talk to you tomorrow. And tell Vastra I say hi."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Clara hooked her phone to the charger and laid down after turning her bedside lamp off. As she drifted off to sleep, the footballer thought of how excited she was about her date. She couldn't wait.

* * *

A/N: So short, I know. Also, I know that Amy was born in 1989, but I changed it because a) we have enough Taylor references already and b) I wanted to keep the age difference between Clara and her (Clara is 3 years older, born on November 23rd 1986 in the show, 1989 here) and still have Amy being 22, because it shows that she's still getting to the supermodel status and has time to grow.


	4. Ain't it funny, rumors fly

**Chapter IV: Ain't it funny, rumors fly.**

It had been two weeks since Clara had met Amy, and they had been on three dates so far, not counting the training session and the afterparty. Clara couldn't believe how much fun she had when she was with the model. She was a dork, a clumsy, ginger giraffe...but at the same time she was so caring and kind. Not to mention the fact that she could go from impossibly cute to irresistibly sexy in the blink of an eye. Her adventurous nature kept Clara on her toes and she was becoming addicted to the feeling.

The team captain was leaving training when she saw the multiple missing calls from her manager. She called him back and he picked up on the first ring. "Hey, Doc. What's up?" His name was really John Smith, but for some reason he had never bothered to explain, everyone called him Doctor.

"Are you dating Amy Pond?" He went straight to the point, which coming from him wasn't a good sign.

"Uhm...we...went on a couple of dates. She's not my girlfriend or anything." _Yet_ , she added to herself. He sounded worried and Clara could sense trouble. "What's going on?"

"Someone with a camera saw you two leaving a restaurant a few nights ago and the paparazzi have pictures of you on your date yesterday. You need to tell me so I know what to answer."

Clara was overwhelmed. She hadn't thought that the media would care. She had never hid her sexuality from the public but she didn't know where Amy stood in the matter, and now that they had seen them together, they had jumped into the best selling conclusion. _Which just happens to be correct._

"We're good friends and we were hanging 's all they need to know." She knew how emotionless she sounded, she hated having to deny what was going on. "John, whatever this is, we're just at the beginning and I don't see the end yet. We need time to see where it goes." She hoped that after that mess there would be something left to figure out.

"I'll make some calls to make a statement. Don't worry, it'll die down if you're not seen together for a while." He must have noticed that his client was only half-listening, because he added, "Hey, Clara, it's alright. You tell me when you need my help." The man was a good friend to her.

"I will. Thank you." They said their goodbyes and hung up. Clara decided to continue with her day as planned and told her driver to take her to Amy's apartment. Before getting out of her car, the footballer pulled the hood of her sweatshirt above her head and put on a pair of big sunglasses, just in case there were cameras nearby.

The model opened the door for her and Clara walked in without saying much. She ran a hand through her hair, pulling at her roots. She was scared that Amy would end whatever they had going on before they even had a proper chance.

"I'm guessing you heard the news", the Scot said, breaking the silence. She had obviously noticed Clara's state of uneasiness.

The brunette turned to face her, the sting of tears in her eyes. "Amy, I'm so sorry, I should've imagined that someone would see us and sell the story to the tabloids. I should've taken you somewhere else. You don't deserve this." She spoke fast, the tears falling by the time she finished.

Amy moved closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek. "Hey, it's alright." She brushed the tears away with her thumb. "Don't cry." She gently pulled Clara's chin up so she would look at her. "It's not your fault. Besides they don't even have much. Just ignore them for now." The soft smile on her face was enough to make the shorter girl feel better.

"You're not worried that they'll say you're dating a girl?", Clara questioned with a barely audible voice.

The younger girl giggled. "Nope. I never said anything about my sexuality, but it's not like they asked. I'm cool with who I am, and so is the people I care about." Clara realised Amy's arms were wrapped around her waist, keeping her close and comforting her. "Who knows? Maybe they'll find me more interesting now. Just look at Cara."

It was Clara's turn to laugh softly. "Okay", she said, relief finally pushing back the worry. "We'll have to spend some time indoors, though. Just to get them off our backs."

"Hmm...having you in here all for myself, I wonder what can we do to occupy our time." The ginger pretended to think about it for a second before winking at the footballer. They were too close and the tension between them was almost too much for Clara to handle. This girl, this amazing, crazy, fearless girl had managed to calm her fears so effortlessly... _She's definitely a keeper. Clara Oswald, if you mess this up, I swear to God, I'll smack you_ so _hard_ , she told herself. The brunette's eyes found Amy's lips again. Not that it was too much of a challenge: she was so much taller than her. Clara gathered all the confidence that Amy had transmitted to her and stood on her tiptoes, her arms wrapping themselves around Amy's neck as her lips pressed gently against the model's. They were soft and tasted like orange juice, and Clara couldn't get enough of her. Amy responded almost instantly, tightening her grip on the older girl's waist. It was their first kiss, and it was perfect.

"See? We can totally spend time inside, no problem", Amy said when they parted, a little breathless.

* * *

The girls finished preparing the dinner Amy had been cooking for them -zucchini lasagna, because "Why eating all those carbs and flour when you can have the healthy thing?"- and ate it over a movie in Amy's living room. The model had been forced to choose the film, as Clara refused to pick something that could embarrass her. That was how they ended up sitting on the couch watching _World War Z_.

"I don't like zombies", Clara said for what seemed like the tenth time that night.

Except this time, Amy didn't just laugh at her. She lifted the brunette's toned legs from the couch to make room so she could sit closer. She stretched Clara's legs next to her own and hugged the footballer's waist, her head resting on her chest.

"Don't worry. I'm here to protect you if they come by." To Clara it felt as if Amy wasn't just talking about the movie, and it made her want to kiss the girl on the spot. Enjoying that she now could, Clara placed her hand on Amy's cheek to pull her in for a kiss. She didn't really care that she was missing whatever was happening in the movie, she just wanted to keep her lips on Amy.

She was moving to the model's neck when Amy's IPhone vibrated on the table, the screen lighting up. "Leave it", Clara mumbled into Amy's collarbone when the ginger tried to push her away to get it.

Amy giggled and pushed a little harder. "I can't, it could be work." She grabbed the phone and looked over her shoulder as she unlocked it. "Besides, I'm just getting started with you. I'm not going anywhere."

 _This girl is too much_ , Clara thought. She didn't want to rush things or overwhelm Amy but she already felt so comfortable around her...

"It's Cara", Amy explained, her beautiful smile taking over her features. "I'm putting her on speaker". It was so cute that the model wanted the footballer to get along with her friends. "Hey Car!", Amy greeted her colleague while laying back into Clara.

"Hey, you idiot. When were you planning on telling me that you're finally shagging Clara?! After everything I've done for you!", the English model said in an overly dramatic way.

Clara just burst into laughter at Amy's flustered face. "Cara, what the hell is wrong with you?! She heard that!"

"Hi, Cara!", Clara added for emphasis.

"Oh my God, you dirty slut, you're fucking her right now." While Clara's fit resumed in full force, the ginger covered her face in frustration.

"Cara, please stop talking." She sighed and took a breath. "We were just watching a movie", she explained. Her pale cheeks were tomato red and Clara was extremely amused by how flustered she was.

"Whatever you say, love. Anyway, I'm coming to London in a few days and I wanted to see if you and your girlfriend want to hang out. You know, if you're not too busy eating eachother out."

"Sometimes I don't even know why I'm friends with you", Amy said, more to herself that anything. The brunette didn't miss that the model didn't bother to correct her friend by saying that they weren't actually girlfriends. "Yeah, we can hang out. Though I don't know if I'll ever want you around Clara again."

"Oh, hang on. I want to see Cara too", the footballer said, finally able to breathe normally.

"See? She loves me. Watch out, Amy, maybe I'll steal her." Amy looked like she was about to reply when they heard the other model talking to someone else. "I've got to go, I'll call you when I'm home. Use protection, kids. Love you!" With that, the one and only Cara Delevingne hung up.

A slightly awkward silence settled between the girls in Amy's couch.

"She's nice", Clara started with a giggle.

"Yeah, well..." Amy looked down to her fingers fidgeting on her lap, avoiding Clara's eyes. "She didn't scare you out, did she? I mean, she's my friend so I've obviously talked with her about you but she can come out a little intense when you don't know her."

Clara couldn't believe how the girl in front of her could be so cute. "No, she didn't scare me out. Yes, she is a little crazy, but it's part of what makes her who she is. And I really do like her, she's fun." Amy was looking at her now, but Clara averted her eyes to say the next phrase. "And...if it weren't for her I never would've met you."

By the time Clara looked back up, Amy's lips were on her again, the taller body pushing her back into the couch to lay on top of her.

"I guess we both owe her, then", the model said between kisses.


	5. But I've got a blank space, baby

A/N: extra long chapter cause I couldn't update last week because of comic con and I felt bad

* * *

 **Chapter V: But I've got a blank space, baby**

"Are you saying Amy never told you about that weird obsession she has with you?", Cara says in disbelief. "And you've been on how many dates?", she asks Amy.

The models and Clara were enjoying a bottle of wine at Amy's flat after a nice dinner. They were spooning the footballer's failed attempt of a soufflé, which tasted delicious even though it had collapsed just as it left the oven.

"For the last time, I'm not obsessed with her!", the ginger answered, sounding quite annoyed. Much like she had done during dinner, Clara watched the Scottish girl blush as her blonde friend told stories about her.

"But you lurk in her instagram profile all the time! And your lockscreen-", the Scottish model decided she had been embarrassed enough for the night.

"Cara, for God's sake, please stop", she said, rubbing her temples.

With a dramatic sigh, the English model gave in. "Ugh, fine. But I'm telling her about the prank I pulled on you and Karlie at the Burberry show." From Amy's side, a pillow flew across the room straight to Cara's face.

* * *

With Cara all settled in the guest bedroom for the night -because it was too late and they were too drunk to go anywhere-, Amy and Clara made their way to the model's bedroom to get some sleep. Ever since the media scare, the girls had been spending lots of nights in each other's flats. Clara loved/hated that she felt so comfortable sleeping with Amy cuddled up to her. Something inside her was screaming that she shouldn't be so content yet, but she couldn't help it.

They had yet to do anything other than kissing, but they both enjoyed what they had. However, the footballer knew that as soon as they entered the room that night, a subject that they had avoided the whole day would be inevitable: in the morning, Amy would be flying out with Cara to Rome for five days.

They were silent as they followed their nighttime routines. Clara changed into pyjama shorts and an oversized t-shirt that she kept in Amy's place. She had tried not to think too much into it when the girl had suggested she left them there, but she couldn't deny that she was really happy about it.

Once they were under the covers -and Clara managed to once again overcome the fact that Amy's bare legs were entangled with hers-, the older girl broke the silence.

"So...you're leaving tomorrow." It was a statement more than a question, she already knew the answer. The model laid on her side so she would be facing Clara. She took the brunette's hand in hers and intertwined their fingers.

"Yeah. I'm sorry it was so short notice but these things happen a lot. A model can't make it and they need someone else, or they decide they need another one...Is just a few days this time, though."

"It's okay, I travel a lot during the season too", Clara said. She didn't want to think about what Amy meant by 'just a few days _this_ time'. _How long can she go away for? Weeks? Months?_ She didn't even understand why it felt that hard to be apart for a couple of days. She shouldn't feel that attached to a girl who wasn't even her girlfriend. _But we do spend every second we can together. We kiss, we sleep together, we go on dates...Maybe I should ask her._

Nevertheless it didn't feel right to do it when they only had a few hours left together. "We can talk on the phone and facetime. We're gonna be fine", Clara reassured her.

Amy smiled that soft smile of her that made the footballer week on the knees. "We're gonna be fine", she repeated. Clara let the conversation sink in before finding a way to make it lighthearted.

"Now, you really need to tell me what Cara meant when she said that you're obsessed with me", she said with a smirk.

"I'm not _obsessed_ with you! Can't a girl have a crush?" Amy pretended to be angry, but her giggles gave her away. Clara blushed at her words. It was the first time that she had heard those words from Amy. She decided to play it cool instead of saying something cheesy like she had a crush on her too or something.

"It's okay, I know I'm awesome. How could you _not_ have a crush on me?", she said with a playful grin.

"I dunno, now that I've met you I see you're not that great", Amy retorted. Clara could only laugh at the way the model had turned the tables.

"Shut up", she said, tickling Amy's side and starting a fight that she knew she would let Amy win. She would always let Amy win.

* * *

Their goodbyes the next morning were not as emotional as Clara had first thought it would be. It was obvious that they would miss eachother like crazy, but they silently agreed that a broad display of their feelings in front of Cara would only get them teased to death. The brunette hugged the blonde before quickly kissing Amy, aware of the English model's eyes trained on them.

The footballer went straight to the gym from Amy's flat. Exercise was the best thing she could do to mute her feelings. She did bodybuilding and kickboxing -one of her favourite workouts- for almost three hours, and once she was done, she noticed an Instagram alert on her phone. Yes, she was whipped enough to have the alerts on for Amy's posts. It was a selfie she had taken on the plane, with Cara on the background. The caption read: ' _On our way to Rome! Super excited but missing home already_.' Just as she smiled at the screen, a text from her favourite model came in.

 **Amy** : _By 'home' I meant you btw ;) xxx_

Clara gaped at her phone. Knowing that she was falling for the Scottish girl was one thing, but seeing Amy liking her back just as much was another thing altogether. She had never had anything like this, her only other serious relationship had left her shattered once it was over. She had been young and naïve enough to fall in love with someone that had only used her as a toy. It had taken her a very long time to recover from that and to learn to value herself again. Too long, as far as she was concerned.

But none of that mattered anymore, her ex didn't matter anymore, because she had Amy now. The younger girl was thoughtful and caring. Clara felt like she was a priority to her. It scared her a little, as new things often do. However, she also felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders: she wouldn't have to take care of herself all the time, she could lean on Amy for support too.

The striker then headed to Jenny's house for lunch. She hadn't seen her best friend in what seemed ages, and she was dying to spill the details of her still unofficial relationship.

"Where's Amy? I was hoping to meet her properly!", Jenny said as she hugged Clara at the door.

"I know, I wanted you to meet her too but she had work. She's in Rome", Clara answered hiding her sadness. Jenny knew her enough to realise that she wasn't exactly cheery. It was a little sad and adorable at the same time.

They had lunch, mostly avoiding the subject they really wanted to talk about. Nevertheless, Clara could feel her best friend aching to ask her about the model. "Go on, ask about her", the striker said to her friend towards the end of the meal.

"I wasn't going to", Jenny lied. Clara raised an eyebrow, and her friend knew she had been caught. "Ugh, fine. How are you and Amy doing?", she asked sarcastically.

"We're good. We had that awful scare a couple of weeks ago but we're working through it. She's very careless and she doesn't worry about it much. So she's helping me with that." She laughs, remembering every time Amy has told her not to worry in the past weeks. She knew Amy cared about her, but she didn't want to rush and assume that they were both in the same place with their relationship. "But…" Her thoughts made her frown, and her best friend noticed.

"But?", Jenny encouraged her to continue.

"Well…we're not...technically _together_ yet. I know it's soon but I want us to be exclusive. I just don't want to scare her with labels and commitment. It's already scaring the hell out of me so..."

Jenny thought about it for a minute. "I think you should just tell her. I know it's hard 'cause you're always keeping things to yourself so people won't worry about you but you can't do that with Amy. At least not if you want to have a serious relationship with her."

"I do", Clara said, more confident and honest than ever.

"Then ask her! She seems serious enough about it too, I'm sure she's in the wavelength. Though I'm not making my final judgement of her yet, she still needs to prove some things to me." Clara giggled because she knew her friend was being dead serious.

They continued talking about topics more familiar to them, like the awful design that was rumored to be the new English jersey, which Clara would bare at the World Cup the following year. _Wow, a full month away from Amy. How am I going to pull_ that _one off?_ , Clara thought.

When Jenny was about to get started with dinner, as her wife would be coming home soon, Clara's phone buzzed in the pocket of her jeans.

 **Amy** : _You, me, Netflix. Date?_

Clara giggled at the screen, typing an affirmative answer. Her best friend didn't even have to ask. "I'm guessing you're not staying for dinner after all?", she asked while Clara started picking up her coat and her purse.

Clara walked to her friend and kissed her cheek quickly. "Sorry, I'll make it up to you next week, I promise."

In no time, the brunette was back in her flat. She took a quick shower and changed into her comfiest pyjamas. She hoped Amy wouldn't judge her pink t-shirt covered with pugs. She sat on the bed munching on some popcorn she had prepared. She didn't bother with dinner, she had had too much food at lunch and tea with Jenny anyway. She scrolled through her social media accounts to pass the time.

She was texting the model when she heard the incoming Skype call.

"Hey, gorgeous. What's up?" Amy was smiling on Clara's screen, her face makeup-free and her red locks still wet from the shower. Behind her Clara could see the white leathery headboard of her bed. The soft glimmer of the moon -most likely entering through a window- hit her features in the most perfect way. Her breathtaking beauty didn't cease to amaze Clara.

"Smooth", Clara observed. "Not much, my life is boring till the season starts. How about you? How's Rome?"

"It's good! We did fittings today and we have two days of shooting coming in this beautiful villa just outside of town. After that I'm heading to Milan for a couple days to shoot an ad campaign and meet some designers." Clara noticed how Amy's face lit up when she talked about her job. It was clear that she loved it, and the footballer knew that no matter how much she missed her, she would never get in between Amy and her passion.

"Sounds like a lot of work", the girl in London said sympathetically.

"It is. But it's what I signed up for", Amy answered with a smile. After a short pause, she tucked a stray red lock behind her ear and changed the subject. "Now, I went through a lot of trouble to kick Cara out of my room in order to have a peaceful date with you, so let's start."

"Amy! Don't do that to your friend! She can perfectly watch the movie with us." She slapped the keyboard for emphasis. She understood where Amy was coming from but she still felt bad for the English model.

"Trust me, she can't. And anyway she has friends everywhere so I didn't exactly leave her alone. I simply didn't go out with her."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Fine, but tomorrow you do whatever she wants." She didn't want Amy's friends getting mad at her.

"Yes, ma'am", Amy said with a mock salute. "Can we watch the movie now?"

The footballer threw her head back laughing at Amy's childlike voice tone. _I have to make her mine_. She calmed down before agreeing. "What are we watching?"

* * *

Amy would return that evening. Also that evening, Clara would ask Amy to be her girlfriend.

The footballer headed for the gym first thing that morning, meeting some of her teammates there. After training, Clara showered and changed into dark blue skinny jeans and a light-blue sweater that she might or might not have bought just the day before. The other girls teased her as she applied makeup to her face. She heard a couple of whistles before Martha dared to ask. "Hot date?", she said with a smirk on her face. Except for Jenny, no one in Clara's team knew about Amy. She didn't mean to hide her, but she wanted to wait before announcing anything publicly to all her friends.

"Something like that", the captain replied without adding any more details. In reality, she was picking up Amy from the airport and taking her to dinner. Nothing too fancy - Amy would probably be tired from the flight anyway-, however that didn't mean that she shouldn't dress up a bit for her. Clara finished applying the cherry red lipstick and stared at her reflection. She wasn't quick to admit it, but she looked pretty good with the lipstick and a neat cat-eye on. _Thank you, Taylor_ , she thought, thinking of the singer's signature look.

She was actually early to the airport, but she didn't think she could bare to be waiting for the right time in her flat, so she decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants at the airport and wait there until Amy's plane arrived, always keeping her head down and sunglasses on so no one would recognize her.

Clara was nervous, obviously. She hated that the possibility of being rejected existed, still she knew that it was a chance she had to take. Nothing Amy had said indicated that she didn't want a long-term relationship (and, to be honest, if that was just a fling they would have hooked up already). Nevertheless, this wasn't doing enough to calm Clara. Instead, she thought back to the long conversations they had had on the phone in the past week. They had developed a sort of game, in which they would ask each other random questions. They always had something to talk about, and it allowed them to get to know the other a little more. The questions weren't _too_ personal yet, but they were getting there.

Every now and then, Clara eyed the arrivals screen to check on Amy's flight. Right on time, at four o'clock, the label changed to _landed_. The brunette closed the book she had tried -and failed miserably- to read the entire time and got up from her seat. She walked to Amy's gate and waited. Around her, people with signs and flowers were gathering to receive their loved ones. It looked like a scene out of _Love, actually_. She had considered bringing flowers, but decided against it in case anyone saw and told the press. She shouldn't even be there, but she wasn't about to let her hopefully soon-to-be girlfriend drive herself home on potentially one of the most important days of both their lives.

Once passengers started appearing through the gate, Clara's heart skipped a beat every time the doors opened. Finally, she was able to catch a glimpse of ginger hair that stood out amid the crowd. The model had sunglasses on, a pair of light-blue skinny jeans and a cream-colored sweater. She was dragging a carry-on suitcase behind her and had her purse hanging from her shoulder. She looked so casually out of a magazine that Clara got lost in admiring her for a second. Noticing that Amy was almost past the arrival area, Clara shook her head to focus back on the situation.

Amy wasn't expecting anyone to be there for her, so she had almost walked past Clara when she called her. "Fancy a ride?", Clara said, trying to look as cool as she could given the circumstances. Hearing the familiar voice, the model turned and took off her sunglasses. Her smile grew wide, matching Clara's, and in two long strides she was enveloping the shorter girl in a tight hug. They laughed as Clara was lifted off her feet and spun around by Amy.

"What are you doing here?", Amy asked after putting her down. Clara could only think about how much she had missed to hear her Scottish accent without the phone in between.

"Thought I could surprise you and take you out for dinner." She looked down at their intertwined fingers and gave the model's hand a squeeze, as if to convince herself that she was really there. "I've missed you", she confessed in a shy voice.

"Aww, I've missed you too", Amy said as she wrapped her arms around Clara's neck again. The footballer pulled back and went in for a kiss, but Amy moved her face to kiss her cheek instead. "You don't want to do that here", she whispered in her ear.

Clara realised that she had lost herself in the moment and looked back down. "I'm sorry", she mumbled. She knew that it was her fault that they had to keep everything a quiet and she felt terrible for it.

"It's alright, love. We can pick that up later." Amy winked and her and took her hand to guide her outside. Just as they were approaching the exit of the terminal, they spotted the photographers waiting outside.

"How..?", Clara started. _How did they know we were here?_

"Don't worry, they're always waiting when I come home. This isn't your fault." But Clara knew that a group of paparazzi that big had to be at least partly her fault. Amy squeezed her hand once more before letting go and sliding her sunglasses back on.

They walked out together, because the photographers probably already knew that they were in there together so there was no point in waiting. _Friends pick each other up at the airport, right?_ , Clara asked herself. As soon as they stepped out, the flashes of the cameras were all over them. Even though she tried to block them out, Clara could hear the reporters shouting. " _How are you girls doing?" "Are you dating?" "Are you spending Christmas together?" "Clara, what does your father think of Amy?"_

For a second, Clara thought she couldn't do it. But Amy was ignoring everything so effortlessly that she forced herself to keep going. Clara's car was parked fairly close to the exit, however to her it felt like miles. Once they were finally in the car and on their way back into the city, Amy's hand found Clara's. She didn't say anything -probably sensing that Clara was beating herself up for all the attention they were getting and didn't feel like talking-, but assuring silently that everything was fine, that she didn't care about the tabloids or what people said.

Clara felt better by the time they made it to the restaurant -a sushi place that she had checked served vegan options-, only because Amy had tried hard to cheer her up with stories of her trip. The retelling continued over dinner and transformed into sharing tales of similar trips they had both had.

It had been dark for a couple of hours when Clara pulled up in front of Amy's building. The model suggested they went up for a glass of wine and Clara obliged. _This is it, Oswald. Now is the time_ , she told herself.

"Okay, so, I have a random question for you", Amy said as she handed Clara her glass. They sat on the couch in the living room, for once not watching a movie or a show. Clara had her legs up beside her and was facing Amy's hazel eyes. She was really falling in love with this game. _I think I'm really falling in love with her_. "What were you thinking the first time you asked me out? Like, what was going through that pretty little head of yours."

Clara thought about it for a moment. "Probably something along the lines of ' _oh my stars, what am I doing?', 'she's never going to say yes' and 'someone please kill me now'_ ", she answered only half-joking. Amy laughed at her answer. "I have a question for you too", Clara started again. "Do you like dating me?", she hated that she sounded so nervous and exposed.

"Do you even have to ask?" Clara looked down, her cheeks turning pink. Amy put a hand on her face so she would look at her "Clara, I love dating you. I have so much fun with you, I want to be around you all the time." She placed a soft kiss to Clara's lips and pulled back, a smirk finding its way to her face. "And you're a pretty good kisser so that doesn't hurt."

Clara chuckled and took a deep breath. "Okay, so...will you be my girlfriend?"

Amy kissed her again, with more passion this time. "Yes, you dork, of course I'll be your girlfriend." Then it was Clara's turn to kiss Amy and she didn't stop until it was absolutely necessary. She wanted to scream as loud as she had when scoring her first goal, she felt more joyful than she had felt when winning her first cup. Amy made her feel stronger than she had ever felt, more lucky than she had ever been. Amy made her happy, and she was going to make sure that Amy felt the same way.


	6. Rose garden filled with thorns

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long! I had the biggest DW convention there is here just a week ago and I was part of the staff so there was a lot to do, apart from preparing my presentation for the cosplay contest. Also it's finals season in college...anyway, it's here now, and it's pretty long so enjoy it. Chapters are getting longer because...idk, they work better that way, I think.

THIS BIT IS IMPORTANT: I meant to say it before and I forgot, but imagine this AU is in a magic, ideal world in which female footballers are as important as male footballers in ours. As for the timeline, it's mid-December in the story right now (it started in November), I'll try to remember including when they are in next chapters.

* * *

 **Chapter VI: Rose garden filled with thorns**

"Hey, Doctor. What's up?", Clara said, answering her phone as she shoved everything she needed for training in a bag.

"Nothing much, the usual. Listen, I just got the tickets for England's game. I'll send one to your dad. What do you want to do with the rest?"

Usually, Clara didn't have many people to invite to her games: she only had her father and her gran left, and she never insisted on having her grandmother there except on special occasions. A crowded stadium was no place for a woman her age. However, this time, Clara had someone else in mind.

"You can give away the rest of them, I'm only gonna need one more. But don't worry, I can take care of it. I'll stop by your office later and pick it up."

"Don't bother, I'll send someone to your practice with it so you don't have to come down here. May I ask who this mystery guest is?" Her manager had an air of suspicion. Clara knew he already had an idea of who the ticket was for.

"My girlfriend, if you must know," she answered with a slight sense of pride. "You remember Amy, of course."

The man on the other side of the line stayed silent for a moment. "I remember. Well, congratulations, I suppose. I'll find a gap in your schedule so we can talk about this asap," he said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean talk about this? What is there to talk about?," Clara asked confused.

"Your course of action, of course!," he said as if it were obvious. "I know you forget about it sometimes but you're the most famous female football player in the country, Clara. Any story about you makes an easy-selling headline. You need to have a plan," he explained calmly, probably sensing Clara's doubts.

The footballer understood he was right. Rumours were only getting worse and she knew they would have to confirm their relationship at some point if they wanted some kind of peace. But, of course, the first weeks after that would be a challenge. Clara couldn't fight this alone, and she couldn't keep Amy in the dark about it either. She hated dragging the model into the mess the media made of her life, but she would have to be strong enough to carry both of them through it.

"I understand," she answered. "Let me know when you find the time."

"As your friend, I'm really happy for you, Clara. I mean it," he said meaningfully. Clara nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "And remember that sponsors meeting we have later today. 2 o'clock. I'll text you the address again just in case," he said returning to his business tone.

"Gotcha. I'll see you then. Thank you, Doctor," Clara said, genuinely thankful for her friend's help.

"Anytime, Clara."

* * *

Invitation to the match in hand -or, more exactly, in her bag- Clara got into her car and texted her girlfriend.

 **Clara** : _Got a little time to kill. Are you home?_

It all still felt so new. It had barely been over a two weeks since they had made their relationship 'official', even though they had been dating for a month. Being able to call Amy her girlfriend made Clara happy in a way she didn't know she had missed. However, she knew that there were things they still had to talk about, things she hadn't mentioned. Honestly, Clara was scared. She was afraid of what Amy would feel like when confronted with being in the public eye as much as she was. What if she couldn't bare to be in a relationship that would be splattered all over the media? What if having every detail of their lives retold and analyzed was too much for her?

These concerns were on Clara's mind when she received a text from Amy.

 **Amy** : _I'm on set. Drop by, I can take a couple minutes off for you ;)_

Not wasting any more time, Clara started driving to the address Amy had included in her text. It wasn't until she reached the street she was looking for that she realised she would see Amy working for the first time since the fashion show. Nevertheless, this time felt different. She had been on photoshoots before, but never with a professional model. She noticed right away that a fashion editorial shoot was nothing like any of the shoots she had done.

Amy was posing near a brick wall in a quiet street in the East End. She was wearing a heavy winter coat, a denim shirt, skinny jeans that ended just above her ankles and black heels. Her hair was down in a way that reminded Clara of her bed hair. Her makeup was natural, with dark eyeliner that made her hazel eyes stand out. The footballer thought she was getting used to have such a beautiful girlfriend, but it seemed that Amy could always find a way to take her breath away.

Clara just stared at her at first, lost in how incredibly amazing she was at her job. The model was focused on the camera in front of her, moving in a kind of dance with the photographer. She made it impossible not to look at her.

At some point, Amy noticed Clara and blew a kiss her way, which she almost missed because of how distracted she was. Just as she did that, the photographer's voice got to the brunette.

"That's beautiful Amy. Take five and get changed."

Once the camera was down, Amy ran across past him to Clara. How she was able to accomplish such a feat while wearing heels was beyond the footballer.

Long arms covered in a furry coat wrapped around Clara as Amy hugged her, almost knocking her down in the process. "You made it!", she said cheerfully. Without even giving Clara the time to say hi, the model pulled her girlfriend to the trailer that was serving as her dressing room.

As soon as they were inside, Amy pulled Clara close. However, a throat being cleared stopped them from going any further. They looked over and found a woman standing by a clothes rack. Cheeks blushing bright pink, Amy put a little distance between her and Clara before speaking.

"Uh, Clara, this is Francesca, she's the stylist. Francesca, this is Clara," she said, obviously trying not to laugh as she spoke.

"Nice to meet you," the woman said, sounding slightly annoyed. She looked back at Amy, ignoring the other girl completely. "I'm leaving you the next look here. Be in hair and makeup in ten." Not saying anything else, she walked past the couple and left the trailer.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Amy said once she had left.

"Do you think she saw anything?" Clara asked. She didn't mean to sound so panicked, but in the back of her mind all the could think about was the storm that would unleash around them if anyone found out without them being prepared.

"I think we're fine. She probably doesn't even know who you are anyway, football isn't very popular around here. And I doubt she'd care even if she knew." She gave the shorter girl's hand a squeeze and smiled before leaning down and catching her lips with hers. "Hi," the model said when they separated.

"Hi," Clara replied, her worries forgotten for the time being. "I'm not gonna keep you for long, I know you're busy," she said, looking into Amy's eyes, slightly lost in them. "I have something for you." She took the white envelope out of her bag and handed it to Amy. The model raised an eyebrow at her as she opened it, pulling out the ticket. She studied it for a second, reading the words.

"You want me to go to your game?", Amy said smiling, looking like she didn't quite believe it.

"Yeah, I mean...If you want to. It's just a friendly match but I thought-"

Amy interrupted her rambling with a kiss. _She has to stop doing that_ , Clara thought, but didn't mean it. "I'd love to go." She smiled that shy smile that tugged at Clara's heart. "I want to be there supporting you as much as I can."

As the taller girl pulled away and started pulling of her clothes, Clara knew for a fact that she had a lovesick, dumb look on her face. "Besides I've never actually seen you at work. Not live anyways. I mean, it's only fair, this is the second time you've seen me." Clara was barely registering what her girlfriend was saying, too distracted by the way in which her slender fingers stripped her toned body.

Before answering, Clara turned around so as to keep Amy's lingerie-clad body out of her sight and herself focused on the conversation. "Uhm...well, you've been to practice with the team so it's pretty much the same. Except this time I'll be wearing the English colours."

"Let's hope no one recognises me, then. If I'm seen supporting the English, I'll be exiled from Scotland for life," she said jokingly. The comment reminded Clara of the explaining she still had to do. She needed to tell Amy about the PR plan that her manager and her would be working on. _Not here, she's working. It's not a good time_ , she decided, but she wasn't sure if the right time even existed.

Clara was pretending to be interested in the floor of the trailer in order to give Amy some privacy while she changed into her next outfit, so she didn't see the model sneaking up behind her. "You don't have to look away, you know? You're my girlfriend, you get to look all you like," Amy said, voice low and lips close to Clara's ear.

The brunette's breathing was shaky, so she took a second before reacting. However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a loud knock on the door. "Miss Pond? They need you in Hair & Makeup," came a voice from the other side. It sounded polite enough, but it was obvious that the people in charge were telling her to hurry.

Amy sighed, dropping her forehead on Clara's shoulder for a moment before looking up and kissing the footballer's cheek. "I have to go back. Can you stay?"

"I'd love to, but I have a meeting in Soho. How about we have dinner tonight? I'll cook," Clara proposed. Amy agreed instantly and kissed her before they both left the trailer. Exchanging a quick goodbye without touching much, the girls parted ways. Clara kept her eyes lingering on Amy as she walked away, her long legs barely covered by denim shorts and knee-high socks. Once again, she looked stunning. Clara was starting to think that she would never see her looking any other than beautiful.

* * *

The meeting was incredibly boring. She wanted the deal settled, but her head didn't seem able to focus on business. She was trying to come up with a way to explain Amy that their relationship's public profile needed to be manipulated without scaring her off.

"So we would have you as the face of our football line and our new boots. Of course, you can customize them, and we would give you different ones for your team and the national team. We'll have a photoshoot and we'll shoot a TV ad as well. How does it sound, Clara?"

Clara, who had only half-heard what the man in front of her was saying, was suddenly brought back to reality by her manager elbowing her arm. "Oh, uhm...yes, it's great. I'm in."

"Excellent," the man said, standing up from his chair and offering her his hand to shake. "Welcome to Nike, Miss Oswald."

Clara shook his hand and smiled politely. After a little small talk on her way out, she was out of the building. The Doctor -knowing that she had missed most of the meeting- had a disapproving look on his face. "You need to pay attention to these things, Clara. I know they're not as exciting as your model girlfriend, but…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about how this whole media thing will play with her. She doesn't deserve the trouble I'm bringing her," she apologized, running a hand through her hair.

"Trouble or not, if she really wants to be with you, she'll find a way to deal with it." He placed a hand on Clara's shoulder in a comforting way. "Speaking of which, I can come by your flat tomorrow morning to walk you through my plan, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, Amy will probably be there. Tomorrow's fine." The Doctor frowned, but she spoke before he could say anything. "Don't even start, Doctor. I want her there. She's my girlfriend and we're in this together." _Or at least I hope we will be_.

Knowing there wasn't a point in arguing, Clara's manager dropped the subject. "As you wish. But don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

The next morning, Clara was pacing her living room. Her phone was in her hand, and she was considering whether or not to call the Doctor and cancel their meeting. She had explained Amy what would happen the night before, but now that it was actually happening, Clara was anxious.

She heard the shower close. Amy would be out of Clara's bedroom any second. The footballer ran a hand through her brown hair. She had been doing that a lot, it was becoming a nervous tick. She stopped, looking out the window and checked the time for the third time in five minutes. Ten minutes left. Clara sighed, her breaths broken. _I can't do this_.

A long, slender arm wrapped around her, touching her arm and holding her hand.

"Your hands're shaking," Amy said. She placed a kiss to the back of Clara's neck.

Clara didn't answer, only let out another shaky breath. Amy dropped the towel she had been using to dry her hair on the couch and gently made Clara face her. "Hey." She touched Clara's cheek, looking straight into her eyes. "It'll be fine. _I_ 'll be fine. Stop worrying." She smiled and gave her a chaste kiss. "And stop biting your lip, otherwise he'll think we've been-"

The doorbell rang. Clara knew it was the Doctor, her security would have called if it had been anyone else. She moved away from Amy and went to open the door.

Clara greeted the man and allowed him in, pretending she hadn't noticed how he had eyed her swollen lip curiously. She introduced him to Amy and they shook hands. The air was awkward between them, so Clara showed him into the kitchen, where she hoped she would feel more comfortable. They sat at the isle, Clara and Amy on one side and the Doctor on the other. Beneath the counter, the model's hand found Clara's.

"So, let's get down to business," the Doctor said, pulling papers out of his suitcase. He opened a notebook, checking some notes in his handwriting. "Okay, so I imagine you'll want some time to figure things out, that's what Clara tells me anyway." The girls nodded, and Amy gave a squeeze to Clara's hand. The brunette held it tighter, finding comfort in the gesture. "But I also imagine you want the paparazzi to leave you alone, so what we're doing is slowly and very gently installing the idea into the public eye. I'm not going to lie to you, the next few month are not going to be easy. But slowly, people'll get used to seeing you together and you'll stop being news. It'll become news again when you confirm the relationship, and then it'll just fade. I think for now that's a nice goal to have. We can talk about what happens next when we're there."

Clara was feeling more calm now that they had a carefully laid out plan. She dared to look at Amy, only to find that she seemed too pale, even for her.

"How long should we wait before confirming it?", she asked, hoping it would bring Amy out of her shock state.

"Well, that's up to you, really. The sooner you confirm it, the sooner it'll become old news, but it depends on how prepared you feel to go through the hard part." He looked down at the notebook and turned the page. He grabbed a loose piece of paper and handed it to Clara "Now, here's some ideas on what you should be doing before coming out. I advise you to consult me before doing anything that is not on this list in public. Just in case it's a bad idea," he said with a smile, probably trying to lighten the mood. Seeing he wouldn't achieve anything by trying to relax the couple, he continued, turning to the model.

"Amy, I need to ask you some questions. I promise I'm only doing my job, and that is, to protect Clara. Is that alright?" At this, Clara felt her nervousness return. She didn't know he would ask Amy questions. However it didn't feel right to order him to tell her first. _We're in this together, right?_

Amy nodded, now looking straight at him. She still held Clara's hand. "Good. First of all, is there anything I should know about you? Anything at all. Maybe about your past or your past relationships...anything the press might hold against you?," the man asked.

"No, I don't think so. Everything there is to know about me is already public, and none of it is important, really." Her voice sounded so small that Clara only wanted to carry her away and protect her from everything.

"Okay. I'll leave you my card in case you think of anything," he said, slipping a piece of paper her way. "I'll also need you to sign this," he added, now sliding a larger document across the counter. Clara eyed it, concerned. "You can have a lawyer revise it first, of course. Basically it just says that you can't tell anyone the details of your relationship with Clara unless she gives you her consent."

"An NDA?," Amy asked, surprised, but in the same tiny voice.

"I know it seems like a lot, but it's really not a big deal-" Amy interrupted him, her voice barely stronger.

"Not a big deal? How can you even…" She turned to Clara instead of finishing her sentence. "And you're okay with this?" There was rage in her hazel eyes, Clara knew. She had never seen her upset before, and she didn't like it. In fact, she hated it.

"I'm…," she started, but trailed off. She was definitely not okay with it, but the Doctor did have a point. What if something went wrong like last time? Clara didn't think she could bare to see Amy spilling their secrets all over the news. It didn't sound like something she would be capable of doing. Nevertheless, it still felt nice to have a safety net, just in case.

Amy sighed, dropping Clara's hand. "Unbelieveable," she said bitterly. She stood up from her chair and left the room, leaving Clara to sink in the dreadful feeling growing inside her.

"I think I'll leave you to talk. Call me when you've decided what to do," Clara barely registered her manager saying. He showed himself out while Clara stared blankly at the kitchen door through which Amy had left.

In her head, all Clara could hear was the Doctor's and her own voice saying 'I told you so.' She had imagined the whole media thing would be too much for Amy. She had known that she wouldn't be able to understand how real Clara's fear was. Amy was too young and too new to the game to realise just how difficult it had been for Clara to live in the public eye for so long. _She doesn't know the hell I've been through_.

However as she thought that, Clara made a vital discovery: Amy didn't know why she was so scared all the time because she had never explained. The tabloids were packed with stories about her. About how she was a womanizer, a control freak, a nightmare of a captain, a self-centered, cold-hearted bitch...All those rumours had the same origin, one that she had never shared with Amy.

Realising this, Clara stood up from her stool and walk to the bedroom, where she assumed Amy was hiding. She knocked on the door firmly and waited. Hearing no sound from inside the room, Clara resolved to go in.

"I didn't say you could come in," Amy said without moving from her spot on the bed. She was curled up on Clara's side, her long red hair covering most of her face.

"It's my bedroom," Clara replied with a soft tone and a sad smile. She moved to the bed and laid down facing Amy. For a moment, Clara thought the model would turn away, but as seconds passed and she didn't move, she decided to speak. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," she started, letting her words sink in. "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this."

She made a bold decision and reached for Amy's hand. Her girlfriend didn't pull back. "You probably heard all the things they say about me. I'm stronger now but for some time it hurt me. It still does, sometimes. The whole point of this is to stop them from doing the same to you, or from turning you into one more name in my long list of alleged exes."

"All of that started somewhere -with _someone_ I trusted, someone I...loved. That's why the Doctor thought he should bring an NDA, he's just trying to protect me. I know it makes it look like I don't trust you, but I promise I do. I trust you with all my heart. It's just hard for me to be brave again." Clara was only aware that she was crying because Amy wiped the tears away from her cheeks with her thumb.

The model didn't say anything for what seemed like hours to Clara. She simply stared into her teary eyes.

"I'll sign the NDA," she finally said. "Not because I think you don't trust me but because I want to show you that I only want to protect you, too."

"I told you we're in this together. That stays even if this doesn't work out." Amy moved a little closer to Clara so that their noses touched. "Not that I'm planning on going anywhere anytime soon."

Clara kissed her girlfriend. Amy's dried tears and her own made it taste salty, but there was some magic about kissing her that just wouldn't go away. It was a sense of familiarity, of being _safe_ , and something else she couldn't quite place.

 _Growing pains_ , Clara thought. Opening up about her past and her feelings, the fights they would eventually have, it would all be growing pains. That was how they would get ready to face the world together. Growing. Learning. Enduring the hard parts with strength found within them and in each other. That morning Clara knew that it would take a lot more than an article to separate her from Amy.


	7. You look like my next mistake

**Chapter VII: You look like my next mistake**

Clara sat in front of her locker in the dressing room, staring at her perfectly laid out English jersey. She focused absentmindedly on the details of the fabric, on the number 23 -her lucky number- and the 'Oswald' written in blue on the back. She hated to admit it, but she was nervous -very nervous, in fact. She didn't remember being so anxious before a game since her debut with the National team.

Truth be told, the game wasn't what was worrying her. The source of her concern was actually a certain top model that would be cheering for her up in one of the boxes.

Clara wanted nothing more than to impress Amy with her skills. She wanted to show her that she was as good at her job as the model was at hers. She wished to avoid any kind of mistake. However, she was worried that when trying to be perfect, she could mess up in some way. She wouldn't recover from making a fool of herself on the field, especially when playing for England.

The footballer took pride in her job. She was proud of once again making the cut to be a part of the team. She was proud of being teammates with some of the best players in the country. She was proud of being the captain.

But now she had one more thing to be proud of: Clara was proud of being worthy of Amy. Not that she really believed she was, but somehow Amy believed she deserved her time and affection. So yes, Clara wanted to make her girlfriend proud.

 _Then let's go make her proud._

She stood up and put on the jersey, straightening it meticulously. She tied her boots and put her shin pads in place. She was about to leave when her phone lit up, making the shelf in which it rested vibrate. She unlocked it and checked a Snapchat notification. Honestly, she didn't see the point in that app, but it had proven useful while Amy was away (and at every other moment when they weren't together, really).

The snap was a selfie of her girlfriend blowing her a kiss. She could see the window and the field seen from above on the background. She had an England scarf wrapped around her neck. 'Kick those French asses baby', read the caption, followed by several English flag and fist emojis. Clara smiled at the screen and promptly took a screenshot before the snap disappeared. She didn't have time to reply, but she put her phone down and muttered 'yes, ma'am' before leaving the room.

By halftime, England was winning 2-0 and Clara was playing one of her best games ever. She was bursting with confidence. She felt as if she could do anything. She was running fast, standing up to every opponent, delivering precise passes and catching every ball thrown her way. She only had to score.

Twenty minutes into the second half, an opportunity presented itself. One of Clara's teammates saw her available and passed her the ball from the opposite side of the field. The striker jumped as high as she could, beating the defender and managing to stop the ball with her chest. Before it could even touch the ground, Clara kicked the ball, shooting straight into the goal's upper left angle. She looked up, watching the ball enter the goal as if it were in slow motion.

The stadium roared.

With her feet finally touching the ground, Clara jumped into action, screaming to the top of her lungs. She ran over to her right side, dropping to her knees right in front of Amy's box. She pointed up, her smile threatening to split her face in half. She couldn't see her, but Clara knew Amy could see her, and that was all she needed. A moment later, some of the other players were on top of Clara, celebrating with her.

About fifteen minutes before the end, Clara was changed. She left the field with a loud round of applause from the fans. She sat on the bench, realising how exhausted she really was. She had really left everything on that match.

Once the match was finished, a reporter asked to have a word with her.

"What a game, Clara! Congratulations. You were chosen Woman of the match."

"Wow, thank you. Though, I must say it's all because of the team." _Ehem, my girlfriend_.

"Looking towards the World Cup next year, do you think fans can expect good results?"

"I hope so, we're working hard for them. We want to make England happy." She had learnt long ago that short, simple answers worked best with this kind of journalists.

"Well we want that too. Before you go, you seemed to have a pretty clear idea of who you were dedicating your goal to…"

Clara's brain wanted to freeze, but she knew that she had to play it cool. She kept smiling as she answered. "A friend of mine came to see me today for the first time," she said without adding anything else. The reporter seemed satisfied by her answer.

"I'm sure you've made them proud. Again, congratulations." She thanked him again and left, wanting to get away before any other journalist wanted to ask something like that.

In the dressing room, she congratulated her team on their great work and went straight to the shower. She had arranged for Amy to be escorted near the dressing room so they could leave together.

Once showered and with a bag hanging from her shoulder, Clara exited the dressing room to find Amy waiting for her. She didn't have time to react though, because much like she had done at the photoshoot, Amy ran to her and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"You were amazing!", she said as she hugged the footballer.

Clara placed a hand on Amy's waist to steady her. "Well, I had reasons to show off," she said when Amy let her go, a cheeky smile on her lips and a pink blush on her cheeks. "Impressed?"

"Very impressed. Makes me question your motives," Amy admitted in that low, seductive tone Clara liked so much.

"And what would those be?" she asked innocently enough, but pulling Amy closer and not-so-subtly sliding her hand under her top.

The model simply laughed and leaned into the kiss Clara offered. The hand beneath Amy's top didn't explore much, but rather stayed on her hip caressing the skin there. It seemed incredible that after dating for so long they had still to go any further than making out. Clara's excuse was simple: she wanted everything to be perfect with Amy. She couldn't just go for it. Besides, Amy hadn't pushed too hard to take the next step into their relationship either, so Clara wasn't going to rush into it if she wasn't ready.

"Hmm, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's getting hard to refuse," she answered, breathing heavily. She kept their foreheads pressed together for a moment longer before sighing and pulling away. "Let's get out of here. I'm hungry."

Amy pulled at Clara's arm, dragging her towards the parking lot. They got into Clara's car, and drove towards the exit, only to be met by cameras flashing on the other side. It was pretty normal to see paparazzi waiting for the players after a game. What was definitely not common, was to catch Clara Oswald leaving with supermodel Amy Pond sitting on the passenger seat.

 _It's not a big deal. Matches were on the Doctor-approved list. I told that reporter she was here, she was seen in the box, leaving together is normal friend behavior. It's fine._

Clara was trying to assure herself of this, but she still had a strong grip on the wheel.

Once the photographer's were left behind, Amy's hand found Clara's in between the seats.

"It's okay, just take a deep breath. We made it through." The footballer snapped out of her trance state and did as she was told. "The Doctor said this was fine. He even texted me to say I should post something on Instagram."

Clara took in Amy's words as she tried to breathe normally. "I'm sorry," she said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Hey, I've told you, you don't have to apologize. None of this is your fault," Amy said holding Clara's hand in between hers.

"I know. But still, I'm sorry." Amy rolled her eyes and brought Clara's hand to her lips, kissing it gently.

* * *

The next morning, Clara sipped tea in her kitchen. Her laptop was open in front of her, displaying every news article published since the day before with the words 'Clara Oswald'. It was a bad habit of hers, to search for reviews of the match and see what reporters were saying about her.

Sport websites all seemed pleased with the team's performance, as well as her own. They had high hopes for the team at the world cup, as they should.

However, an alarming number of articles were not about the match itself, but rather about Clara's special guest.

 **Clara Oswald has found her cheerleader [PHOTOS]**

 **Girlfriend goals: Supermodel Amy Pond seen supporting footballer Clara Oswald at England match**

 **Watch footballer Clara Oswald dedicate her goal to GF Amy Pond**

The articles showed Amy's Instagram post -a selfie of the model at the box with the caption 'Watching my girl claraoswald killing it at her job'- as well as pictures and videos of them leaving the stadium together. No one confirmed that they were indeed dating (the word 'girlfriend' was used widely enough), but they certainly suggested it.

Somehow managing to still have control over herself, Clara scrolled down to the comments section. Plenty of people believed them to be nothing more than good friends, stating how sweet it was for them to support each other. Nevertheless, a lot of comments spoke of them as a couple.

She was surprised at how positive some of the comments were. People seemed to approve of their relationship, noting that 'they look so cute together'. One comment just confused her: 'OMG I ship it #Pondswald.'

Suddenly, Clara realised that that last comment had been read out loud, and not by her.

She turned around to find Amy with bed hair and an amused expression on her face. "Kids today are crazy," the model said, wrapping her arms around Clara's neck. She finally looked away from the screen and into Clara's eyes. "Morning, love," she said after softly kissing her lips.

"What does that even mean?," Clara asked, still confused. She got up and walked over to the counter to prepare Amy's tea.

"Shipping?," Amy asked. Clara nodded over her shoulder. "It means that they like us together. They even gave us a name! That's _so_ cool. All the best couples have names." She sipped at the tea Clara had placed in front of her before mumbling into the mug. "I wonder if they're going to write about us now."

Clara raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Write about us? Don't you think they've written enough already?," she asked pointing at the laptop screen. She didn't know why, but the amusement with which Amy was taking the situation was unsettling to her.

The model, who had started typing on her phone, looked back at her as if Clara was telling her she didn't know who the Prime Minister was. "Not _them_ , the fans!," she explained. "Fanfiction! Like they write about shows and books and stuff. I know I appear in some as Cara's friend or whatever but I've never had a story written about me. I just wondering if someone will."

It almost sounded as if she wanted to happen. Clara didn't know what to do with this new information. She wasn't even used to being mentioned in magazines and websites and now she would be a character in someone's amateur _book_?

Seeing Clara's puzzled look, Amy moved closer to her and showed her the screen of her phone. "Here, see? They do all kinds of things, like drawings and edits. It's all over tumblr, where have you been?" The screen had a collage of Clara with flower crowns photoshopped on her and little drawn signs and hearts with phrases. _What the hell is a 'tumblr'?_

"They love you there, you're a hero." Amy had apparently searched Clara's name in the app, because only more and more pictures of the footballer appeared as she scrolled down. "Oh, look. There's one," she said, stopping on a link post. "There's a lot of fanfiction written about you already. They pair you with other footballers mostly. Guess they never saw _me_ coming," she added with a devious smirk.

 _Why does she even know all this? How can she be okay with this?_

Clara voiced some of her thoughts and asked the second question.

Amy looked at her with a soft expression. "Clara, c'mon. We don't even know if anyone will give a shit about us being together enough to write about it, and even if they do, it's not like mainstream media is going to post fanfiction as a true story." She paused and smiled again. "It's a copyright violation or something," she added with an eyeroll. She probably didn't know if that was true, but she joked anyway to make Clara feel better.

However, the footballer was not feeling any more calm. She ignored Amy's hand rubbing her arm in a comforting fashion and stood up, grabbing her own phone on the way out of the kitchen.

"I just...I need to call the Doctor and…" She rubbed her palm against her forehead and then slid her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, just…" She couldn't finish her sentence, not knowing what to say. She walked to her own bedroom and closed the door, ignoring Amy calling her name behind her.

She allowed her body to collapse to the floor, her back against the door. She was shaking, but she wasn't crying. She wished more than anything that she could cry, because at least that way her emotions would pour out of her and stop strangling her from the inside.

 _It's too much. This is too much. There is no way she can put up with this for longer than a few hours. She doesn't know how it is. I'm going to lose her._


	8. But you'll come back each time you leave

**Chapter VIII: But you'll come back each time you leave**

" _Hey, Clara? I um...I'm leaving okay? I have an appointment with my trainer...And um...I guess you need some time. I really,_ really _wish you'd talk to me about it but you've been ignoring me for hours so...Just call me when you're ready."_

Clara was almost falling asleep, still on her bedroom floor, when she heard Amy's muffled voice coming through the door.

The model had been silent for a few hours before she said that, after trying to get her girlfriend to open the door or at least to answer her for over an hour. Clara knew that all that time, Amy had been sitting on the other side of the door, waiting for her.

She had wanted nothing more than to open the door and let her in, to voice her concerns and find a way to get through it together. But Clara couldn't. Her fears paralyzed her and she hated herself for it.

Clara barely left her room in the next two days. She even missed a training session and ignored multiple calls from Jenny, her father and, of course, Amy.

 _Stop. Just call her. Tell her what's wrong. Tell her you're sorry._

 _She's better off without you. She doesn't need you._

 _But you need her. She was willing to fight for you. Why aren't you willing to fight for her?_

"I need to fix this." The realisation came at last, well after noon on her second day of isolation.

She ran into her bathroom for a shower. She did her best to look at least pulled together. She wasn't even close to accomplishing it, but she tried. She told her security she was leaving and jumped into her car, driving to Amy's building.

She rang the doorbell for fifteen minutes before she gave up and went back to her car to wait for the girl that she hoped was still her girlfriend.

She had plenty of time to get scared in the two and a half hours that she had to wait for Amy to come home, but she tried to stay focused. _I hurt her, I fucked up, I need to fix this_.

The street was dark and cold when finally, a cab stopped before the building and left the model standing on sidewalk. Clara fumbled with the car door, clumsily getting out as Amy moved up the stairs to enter her building.

"Amy," she called out. The younger girl gaped at the brunette staring at her from the other side of the road. Clara crossed the street towards Amy.

Since Amy wasn't speaking, Clara decided to start. "Amy I...I don't even know what to say, I've been waiting for you for hours and now I don't know-"

"Shut up," the Scottish girl interrupted her. "Just...shut up." Clara did as she was told. She was shocked, but she didn't know what else to say. _I didn't think this through_.

"You scared me," Amy started. Clara wanted to explain, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Amy raised her voice. "You _scared_ me," she repeated. "Two days. I left you in the middle of some kind of panic attack two days ago because you obviously didn't want to see me. I tried to come back but your security wouldn't let me in. I showed up to your practice only to find that you weren't there. Jenny was worried sick and you wouldn't return her calls either."

In a different context, Clara might have been amused by how her Scottish accent got thicker when she was mad. "I try, Clara. I want to try. I've told you time and time again that I don't give a _fuck_ about your past, or what people say or even the bloody NDA. I have been _very_ patient. I have put up with a some shit, and I am will to put up with tons more just to be with you. But I can't get through this - _we_ can't get through this- if you don't give me a chance."

She sighed, sounding defeated. Her cold voice sent a chill through Clara's spine. "I really like you. I want to be with you. But if you're just going to keep locking me out, I'm done."

Clara stepped closer, impossibly anxious inside but trying as hard as she could to look confident. Until she spoke, she had no idea of what she was going to say.

"I'm in love with you." She let of a tiny laugh, and smiled with a small, amused grin. "I'm in love with you and it scares the hell out of me. Because I need you, but I'm afraid of losing you and hurting you along the way."

Amy walked the last step in between them and pressed her freezing hands to Clara's blushed cheeks. "Then don't push me away again. You won't hurt me, you won't have to lose me if you just let me love you."

Amy was so fearless. It was one of the qualities that had attracted Clara in the first place. In that moment, she knew that she wouldn't do anything like that again, not to Amy. She couldn't lock her out, not if she wanted to keep her. Amy had seen her at her worst and was still willing to give her a chance. Yes, she definitely needed to keep Amy around.

Clara kissed Amy with all the love she could convey, trying to prove to her through the kiss that that would be the last time she brought up her walls in front of her. Amy matched her passion, burying her hands into brunette hair and taking Clara's bottom lip in between hers. The evening was cold, but none of the girls felt it when comforted by each other's heat.

"Let's go inside, okay?," Amy proposed. They kissed all the way to the flat, and once inside, Clara started pulling at Amy's clothes.

As garments came off, Clara thought that the moment was far from the spotless fairytale scenario that she had planned for their first time, but somehow it was still perfect. In that moment, Amy's bare body pressed into hers was all she needed to let go of her fears.

* * *

"What are you doing for Christmas?," asked the footballer as she laid with her head on her girlfriend's chest, playing with their intertwined fingers. She wanted to put the mess she had made behind them, so she chose to focus on the future.

Amy seemed to think about it for a second. "I don't know. I don't have anything planned yet. You know my parents were never around so my aunt is the only family I have and we don't really get along."

"I was thinking maybe you can come with me to see my dad," Clara said tentatively. She wanted Amy to meet her father and grandmother. They were the most important people in her life, and she knew they would love the Scot. The idea of taking such a huge step made her a little anxious but if there was one thing she could count on, that was her family's unconditional love.

Amy brushed her finger down Clara's jawline and gently pushed her chin up. "I'd love to," she said before pressing her lips to Clara's. "I only have one condition," Amy added as she ran her hand down Clara's body to rest at her hip. "I get to take you out to a party on New Year's."

 _As long as I get to kiss you at midnight_ …"Deal."

* * *

 **A/N** : this is shorter than usual but it's been a while and a lot happened so...hope you like and sorry for the long wait!

Also this is for Wolfie because your birthday present was awesome 3


	9. Cherry lips, crystal skies

**Chapter IX: Cherry lips, crystal skies**

Clara went into her room to check she wasn't leaving anything behind. She glanced around the room, and finding nothing out of place went back into the living room. She grabbed her coat from the back of the sofa and picked up her purse.

"Got everything?," Amy asked from the loveseat in front of her. She seemed amused by how paranoid about forgetting things Clara got when she was about to leave her home for an extended time.

"Yeah, I think so." She took hold of her suitcase and rolled it to the front door. "Shall we?," she said as she opened the door.

Amy took her luggage and followed her girlfriend out of the flat. A member of Clara's security was waiting for them outside with Clara's SUV. The man placed their bags in the trunk while they sat on the back seat. The partition was up, so they could speak freely.

"You got a driver so you could spend the whole ride to the airport with your eyes on me? That's cute," Amy joked, kissing Clara's cheek.

"It was just so someone could bring the car back but sure, if it makes you feel special." She took Amy's hand and started drawing shapeless figures on the pale skin of her wrist. "Are you nervous? About meeting my family?," the older girl asked after some minutes of silence.

"No, not much. I guess nervous isn't really how I feel about it," Amy replied rather convincingly. "I just want them to believe that I'm right for you, that's all."

"Well, I'm my dad's little princess so he's not gonna make it easy for you. But I'm sure they'll love you." She marked her words with a kiss to the back of Amy's hand. "Besides, there's only one seal of approval I really care about," she added in a more playful tone.

The rest of the ride to the airport was mostly quiet. Clara had been very careful about the people who knew they were leaving, so no one was expecting them once they arrived. She had also made sure that they would be taken through a part of the airport reserved for private planes. At first, Amy thought that booking a private plane for a flight of barely half an hour was a little over the top, but Clara convinced saying that that way they would have more privacy.

The flight was spent cuddling and listening to a special playlist in Clara's phone. She could be quite romantic if she tried.

When the girls landed in Blackpool, they took a cab straight to Clara's former home. After a short ride, they stood before a rather small red brick house, framed by others that looked exactly the same. It was such a typical English place to grow up in that Amy smiled at the thought of a much younger Clara playing football right in front of that door.

Right after the doorbell rang, a dog's barks could be heard inside, eliciting a wide smile from Clara. As soon as the door opened, a golden cocker spaniel jumped into Clara's arms.

"Hello, princess! I missed you, too," she said, petting the excited dog's head. "Hello, dad." Clara allowed herself to be pulled into a hug by her father, which she only half returned as she had her arms around her dog. Amy was standing awkwardly behind Clara, watching the scene unfold with a smile. "Dad, this is Amy," the footballer finally introduced, her eyes shifting from her father to her girlfriend.

Dave Oswald was a well-built man, taller than his daughter. He was almost bald and had a rather unkempt beard that was turning grey. He had a green Christmas sweater on over his copper shirt, and a friendly expression on his face.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Oswald," the younger girl said, extending her hand for him to shake. She didn't show it in her voice, but Clara could tell that she was at least a little nervous.

"Nice to meet you too, Amy," he replied, shaking her hand. "And please, call me Dave. Come on in! It's freezing out here!"

As she entered her old house, Clara released a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. _Good. That was a nice start, right? It's going well_ , she said to herself. She set her dog down and walked straight to the kitchen, where she could tell her father was cooking dinner.

The meal went by quickly as they conversed about the trip and the updates in Clara's life since she had last spoken to her father, and the incursion in vegan cuisine that Mr. Oswald had made for Amy, at Clara's special request. Naturally, he also dedicated some time to getting to know Amy better. He wasn't particularly instructed in the fashion industry, so everything Amy said about her job was new information to him. Clara observed closely how he seemed to genuinely like Amy, how he laughed at her jokes and her funny stories. He even shared some stories about his daughter, only to make Clara blush and hide her face.

Finally, they decided to call it a night and the girls retreated to Clara's old room. Amy looked around at the pink walls covered with posters of footballers. The shelves were crammed with books, trophies, medals and framed pictures. Most of them were of Clara and her mother.

Amy picked up a blue frame containing a picture of a young Ellie Oswald holding a baby only a few months old. The mother had a bright smile that resembled Clara's own. "You look like her," Amy said, looking back at her girlfriend.

Clara wrapped her arms around Amy's waist and rested her head on her shoulder. "My dad's always saying that. I'm not so sure about it."

"You do. You have the same eyes." She put the frame back in it's place and turned to Clara. "And the same dimples," she added, softly pinching Clara's cheek. She turned away and lifted her suitcase to the bed and opened it. "Your dad is sweet, by the way," Amy said as she pulled out her pyjamas. "I'll have to buy him a great Christmas present to thank him...for...his…" The model stopped mid sentence as she put on her top. She looked puzzled to the the other side of the bed for a second before she started giggling.

Clara had been busy changing into her own pyjamas, so it took her a moment to see what was so funny to her girlfriend. Next to Clara's twin-sized bed, was her old spare mattress from when her friends used to come for a sleepover. She couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

"He doesn't really expect us to use that, right?," Amy asked.

"Probably not...But he certainly hopes so," Clara answered, giving the Scot a side glance.

"Well...I'm sorry to disappoint him but it's not happening." She threw her arms around the shorter girl's waist and pulled her closer, slightly tickling Clara's sides.

"Amy, no!," Clara shrieked, but brought her hand to Amy's neck all the same. However, before they could take their game any further, they were interrupted by a scratching sound on the wooden door.

Knowing perfectly well what was happening, Clara disentangled herself from her girlfriend's arms and went to open her bedroom door. A large blur of golden hair rushed inside the room and jumped onto Clara's bed.

"I think Violet wants to keep an eye on you," Clara said, sitting on the bed and petting her dog's head. Amy looked at the dog sitting comfortably on her side of the bed with a small frown on her face. She mumbled something about sharing her girlfriend with a dog and dropped on the bed, careful not to intrude on Violet's space.

Clara stole glances at her as Amy stared at the ceiling. _I can't believe this is real. I must be dreaming_. She laid down and snuggled up to the younger girl, leaving room for the dog to rest in between them at the end of the bed.

"Don't be jealous, love. Violet only sees me every now and then. You have me all for yourself in London." She reached up to Amy's cheek and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

At that point, the dog stood up and moved closer to the girls' faces and after sniffing Amy's hair, licked her cheek.

The model, not being much of a dog person, moved her face to the side trying to get away from Violet's tongue. "Ew, don't! Clara, get your animal away from me!"

It took a second for Clara, who was laughing her lungs off on her side of the bed to control her breathing and push the dog off the bed. She wiped Amy's cheek with her sleeve, still giggling a little. "I guess she likes you. Congratulations, you've officially passed the test."

"What test?," Amy asked, pretending to be more annoyed than she really was.

"I told you, there's only one seal of approval I really care about, and that would be Violet's. She never jumps onto people unless she likes them or they have food and I don't think you're carrying anything eatable right now so she must like you. You passed," the footballer answered with a smile. She felt that Violet liking Amy was a sign that this was right. Taking Amy to meet her family was right. Spending Christmas with her was right. Having her in her bed in that moment was right. Being with Amy was right.

"You're telling me that all this time I've been worried about making your family like me when actually the whole future of our relationship depended on your _dog's_ opinion of me?" Her voice was dramatic, dripping with sarcasm.

Clara giggled softly and smiled innocently. She snuggled closer to Amy and hid her face in the taller girl's neck. Silence lingered between them for a minute, until the Clara spoke again. "I want to show you around tomorrow. Take you to the places I used to go when I lived here."

Amy tightened her arm around Clara's waist. She seemed to consider the proposition for a moment. "Are you sure? Everyone knows who you are here, someone might take pictures that make it to the press." She sounded insecure, and Clara was moved by her concern.

She placed a tender kiss to Amy's neck. "I'm sure. I want to show you where I grew up. Let them take pictures and talk. We don't have to confirm or deny anything we don't want to."

There was a hint of pride in the smile Amy gave her girlfriend. Clara smiled back, proud herself of being able to say such a thing and actually believe it. Of course there would be pictures, virtually anyone in Blackpool could recognize her face, but she was okay with that. She was determined to be brave for Amy.

They fell asleep still embraced, with legs tangled and arms around each other, and a peaceful Violet resting on the spare mattress.

The next day -Christmas eve-, Clara walked Amy around her hometown. She showed her the sights and told her stories of her teenage years. Everything was so crowded that no one seemed to notice them.

They window shopped presents for Clara's family and -having agreed to separate and meet again after an hour- for each other. Clara was a little lost at first, but finally settled on a silver necklace with an A pendant (only because she didn't want to scare her by buying a ring). She also bought a unicorn plush toy that she thought was cute and a Christmas sweater with Stormtroopers on it, because Amy was a huge Star Wars fan.

Later, back home, Clara got busy baking pastries for the whole week -even though they were leaving the day after Christmas. Amy mostly lingered around the kitchen, getting on Clara's way and tasting everything.

The rest of the evening after dinner was spent watching movies and cuddling on the couch. Clara was on the verge of falling asleep, her head resting on Amy's lap, when she felt a figure lean over her and kiss her head. The aftershave and hint of wine allowed her to recognize her father.

"She never could stay up late," she heard him say. She didn't have to look to know that there was a smile on his face.

"Oh, good! I thought she just hated my choice of movies," Amy commented cheerfully but quietly.

A moment of silence settled between them. Clara was rather awake now, but she decided not to say anything and listen instead.

Dave was the first to break the awkwardness. "Amy I trust you know what she went through with-" She cut him off before he could finish the sentence.

"I don't know everything, she doesn't like to talk about it. I know enough, though. I know it hurt her and that didn't make thing easy for us at first but we're working through it. I can promise you nothing like that is going to happen with me. It probably doesn't mean much to you, but I mean it. I love her."

Clara could feel the sting of tears in her closed eyes. Her father lifted Amy's hand from where it rested on Clara's waist and kissed it, then held it between his own. "I believe you, sweetheart." The footballer knew that her girlfriend hated to be called that by men, but hoped that she would understand that her father meant it in the best possible way. "Sleep tight, princess," he whispered in Clara's ear after a while, and bid Amy goodnight.

He had been out of the room for a few minutes when Amy spoke up. "You can stop pretending now," she said, moving the brown locks away from her girlfriend's face.

Surprised, Clara's eyes shot wide open, and she turned to face the younger girl. "How did you-"

"I've slept on the same bed with you almost every night for nearly two months, I can tell when you're asleep." She said it nonchalantly, but there was something so romantic and sweet about the statement that Clara had to sit up and kiss her.

"I love you, too." Her voice was low and soft, almost a whisper, as if she were confessing her most intimate secret.

The clock struck twelve. Clara was close to missing it because she was lost in her own thoughts, all clouded with the beautiful, amazing girl she had in front of her. She was like an island in the middle of the sea, like that little ray of sun on a rainy day. She was the hope of a magical present and a brighter future.

"Merry Christmas, love," the Scot said, imitating Clara's earlier tone.

"Merry Christmas, sunshine."

* * *

Christmas day was spent in the kitchen, with Clara pretending she knew what she was doing and Amy glancing at her curiously as she bit her lip so she wouldn't make any comments and upset her girlfriend. Clara's grandmother arrived at the house after lunch, and joined her grandchild in the kitchen, mostly fixing her mistakes and organizing her mess.

Clara was relieved that her Gran seemed to be more than pleased with Amy. They got on like a house on fire and chatted all afternoon, her Gran telling Amy stories of her childhood that she would have prefered to keep secret, but the loving look on her girlfriend's face when she looked at Clara, who was blushing in embarrassment, made her think that maybe it wasn't so bad that she knew the stories.

Dinner went smoothly, and after some family time, Dave offered to drive his mother-in-law home. Clara and Amy had some time alone then, which they used to exchange gifts, sitting on the couch in the living room in front of the lightened fireplace.

Clara went first. Amy was over the moon with the Stormtrooper Christmas sweater, and immediately snapped a selfie to upload later. She loved the toy unicorn as well, and promised to always take it with her when she travelled. Finally, she gasped when she saw the necklace. "Oh my God, Clara!" she said, and started rummaging through her own gifts, taking out a small box and showing Clara a matching, almost identical necklace with a C pendant. "I can't believe we're _this_ annoying."

Clara just closed the distance between them and kissed her. "Good annoying, though," she added when they separated.

They put on each other's necklaces before Amy continued to give Clara her gifts. The next present was wrapped carefully in paper with a football pattern. It was a book with black hard covers. Clara gave Amy a questioning raised eyebrow, but she just said "open it." Clara peeked inside and realised it was not a book, but a notebook. The first page had something scribbled in Amy's cute handwriting.

" _I promised I would always be here for you, but in case you can't tell me directly, at least you can tell me through this journal. You can trust me with anything you want._

 _I love you."_

Clara had a hard time blinking back the tears that gathered in her eyes as she read the note over and over again. She took and deep breath before looking up from the page and giving Amy a weak smile. "Thank you."

Amy hugged the brunette, and spoke the next words softly in her ear. "You're welcome. But you need to promise me that you're gonna use it, Clara. I know you think too much sometimes and things get messy in your head, so I need you to use the journal to make you feel better. Okay?"

"I promise," Clara replied matching Amy's tone.

Breaking the hug, Amy pulled back. "Now, I have one more gift, but you're gonna have to wait till we're back in London." Clara eyed her girlfriend suspiciously. "Don't worry, it's nothing huge, I just thought you would appreciate more to get it once we're back."

* * *

After spending another day in Blackpool, the girls headed back to London late the next night. It was taking Clara everything she had not to ask Amy about her last gift, but she was just so curious.

To distract herself, she talked to Jenny on the phone on the car ride from the airport, hearing all about the _lovely_ Christmas she had had with Vastra's army of sisters in the house. After Clara told her a little about her own Christmas, they decided to meet the next day to catch up. Jenny made her promise to bring Amy so she could officially meet her at last, and the model agreed.

Clara had barely dropped her purse on the couch when she couldn't stop herself anymore. "Okay, I need to know, what is it?"

Amy raised an eyebrow and walked to her. She kissed her passionately, her hands going underneath Clara's sweater. "You sure you need to know right now?"

Clara's will wavered for an instant. She kissed Amy again, trying to convince herself that she could wait at least another hour, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"No, sorry, I can't do this right now, I need to know." Amy laughed and pressed one last kiss to Clara's lips before letting go and walking into the bedroom with her suitcase. Clara wasn't sure if she should follow her, but stopped herself when she heard Amy's voice down the hall telling her to stay where she was.

She sat on the aisle in the kitchen, tapping her fingers against the marble top. She knew Amy had only been gone for a minute at most, but it felt like hours to her.

Finally, the ginger came into the kitchen and sat across from her girlfriend, placing a bag between them. Clara's mouth watered at the sight of the pink striped Victoria's Secret bag that blocked her sight. In a rush, she snatched the bag from the table and looked inside. It was empty.

She gave Amy a puzzled look. "There's nothing here," she said, almost disappointed, almost upset. Amy only stared at her, as if waiting for Clara to figure it out herself.

Seconds passed, tension growing between them. "I know," Amy finally said. Her voice was low and smooth and Clara had never heard it like that. It stirred something inside her that she wasn't sure she had ever felt before. The model leaned across the aisle, like she was going to tell Clara a secret.

"I'm wearing it."

Clara blinked several times before snapping like a rubber band. She jumped to her feet and walked around the isle to stand next to Amy's chair. She picked up her girlfriend, gently but urgently draping her over her shoulder and carrying her to the bedroom. She could hear Amy soft giggles behind her, but all she cared about was having her girlfriend naked in her bed as soon as humanly possible, and keeping her awake well into the morning.

They were late to lunch with Jenny the next day.


	10. Make the bad guys good for a weekend

Well this doesn't count 100% as a present because it's just an update BUT REMEMBER A YEAR AGO WHEN I POSTED CHAPTER 1 AND IT WAS A PRESENT? Wow I'm such a slow writer...Anyway, I've been sitting on this for a few weeks and I thought I should wait till today. Happy birthday, Wolfie!

* * *

 **Chapter X: I can make the bad guys good for a weekend**

" _...but the award to the hottest couple of the holidays goes to footballer Clara Oswald and her supermodel girlfriend? Amy Pond. The pair was seen shopping in Blackpool where sources say they spent Christmas with the Oswalds._

 _Even though there's no official statement yet, it seems that this couple is more than serious, as both girls were spotted wearing matching necklaces earlier this week. More to come, after the break."_

* * *

 **Clara Oswald welcomes the New Year with VS Angel Amy Pond and friends**

by Julia Marbles. Posted Jan 2, 2015.

* * *

Anonymous asked:

Who do you think the Stormtrooper sweater was from?

amypondsource answered:

It was definitely from Clara. We haven't really seen a lot of them in public but it's fairly obvious now that they are a couple, and Clara seems to know her enough to know that Amy is a supernerdTM. I think the caption is enough proof, " _This is the best present ever._ _ **I'm in love**_ _,"_ is obviously a double-entendre, she's trying to say it without saying it.

* * *

Her journal closed with a dry, angry sound.

It was one of those days when the world was too big and too loud, and all Clara wanted to do was to curl up in her bed and stop _thinking_.

She left the journal on her desk and walked over to the bed wiping at the dried tears on her cheeks. The night was quiet. The first rays of sunshine were slowly turning the sky purple. She climbed into bed and wrapped the sheets tight around her. The sleeping girl next to her stirred and snuggled closer.

"Isn't it a little late to be worrying over whatever is you're worrying over?," Amy whispered softly, her voice tinged with sleep.

"I'm sorry," Clara apologized, still sniffing a little. "It's been rough lately." She paused, her fingers trailing up Amy's arm that was wrapped around her. "They've been talking a lot. Asking a lot of questions. Too many eyes on us." Her voice was wobbly and weak.

Amy pulled back so she could see Clara's eyes. She trailed the path the tears had left on Clara's face. "I'm sorry you have to hear them." She kept quiet for a second. Her eyes were full of sorrow for the anxiety this was causing her girlfriend.

"I think we should come out," Amy said finally.

Clara sat up. Her expression was neutral, her eyes were focused on Amy. The model kneeled in front of her and held her hands.

"It's going to get louder for a while. We're going to have to answer lots of questions we won't want to answer. But then it'll blow over and if we keep our heads down we should be fine." She scanned Clara's face for a reaction, but finding none. "I think we're strong enough to face this. But we don't have to do anything you don't want to," she added, a little sad at the lack of response, looking down at their hands.

"Okay."

It was quiet and tiny. Amy would have missed it if it weren't for the silence in the room.

"What?," Amy asked looking back up with wide eyes.

"Okay. I'll call the Doctor in the morning and set it up." She brought her lips to Amy's in a hard, needy kiss. "I love you. Thank you for taking such good care of me."

"Anytime, baby." The ginger pulled her girlfriend in for a hug. It took some time, but Amy finally managed to coax Clara into going back to sleep. For a while at least, -as long as they stayed in their little bubble- everything would be fine.

* * *

"Yes, I'm sure," Clara said for what seemed like the tenth time.

The Doctor eyed her warily. He had been trying to figure out what his client really wanted for the past forty minutes. "And this is coming from you? She's not pressuring you?"

"Doctor, I agreed to this. I know how this looks like but…" The footballer sighed. She got up from the chair she had been sitting on and started pacing his office. "Look, I can't hear them talking and guessing anymore. I want this over with."

The Doctor's eyes softened at how tired Clara looked. He knew better than anyone the blows Clara had taken in the past. If she was willing to risk getting hurt again for Amy, then he wasn't going to get in the way.

"Alright. I'll start calling your sponsors so they know what's going on." Clara frowned at this, but her manager continued before she could voice her concerns. "Don't worry, I made sure that they are contractually bound to keep their mouths shut," he explained with a smirk. "But it'd be polite to give them a heads up."

Clara nodded. It still made her anxious, but it was reassuring to know that she had legal support.

"Okay, so, my personal recommendation is to play along. The press is already on to you, so just pick a spot -public, but not too much- and let them take pictures. Just a kiss will do. Once that is done you can choose a show to go on and tell the story. We can talk about what to say later. I'll make sure to talk to Amy's agency so we can work together on this."

He stood up and walked around his desk so he could stand in front of the girl. "Clara, I know you know this isn't going to be a day in the park. But I'm very happy for you." He smiled sincerely. She hugged him even though she knew that he didn't like hugs, and he let her. She didn't know how she would handle her life if she didn't have him on her team.

* * *

"This is weird," Amy said, looking around them. Their chosen "stage" was the ice rink at Hampton Court Palace. It was the first monday of the new year, so the rink was mostly empty, except for some tourists. It wasn't so late in the afternoon, but the sun was already setting.

Clara had to remind herself that the model was human, and not some kind of angel. It wasn't easy. The light caught in the beautiful strands of red hair that escaped from underneath her beanie and formed a halo around her.

"How do we even know they'll be here?" Amy asked, still twirling and skating around her girlfriend.

"They're already here. Look behind that tree over there." Clara pointed to the side of the rink discretely with her chin, so as to go unnoticed. "He's gonna move the lens in a second. You should see the reflection."

Almost as if on queue, the paparazzi moved his camera and they were able to see the flash of light as it reflected on his lens. Amy looked sad for a moment. It wasn't the first time that she witnessed the effects of years of being chased by the press. However by now, Amy knew better than to point it out.

"So…" Amy's smile reappeared as she focused on Clara. She took Clara's hand and pulled her close. "Should we give them their money's worth?"

Clara's mitten-covered hands went to Amy's blushed cheeks. She pulled her in for a kiss that was chaste, but very unmistakably a loving kind of kiss. Clara broke the kiss after a couple of seconds. It was enough.

"I love you," Amy whispered. "No matter what."

To say that Clara was terrified would be an understatement. Fear crept up in her the second her lips touched Amy's. There was no going back now, no way to keep hiding. She knew that she was in for some of the most difficult weeks of her life. But somehow Amy kept her grounded. She wouldn't have to face it all by herself. Amy had said from the very beginning that they were in this together, and in that moment, standing in that ice rink, Clara believed it.


	11. Be that girl for a month

**Chapter XI: Be that girl for a month**

"They're blowing up my phone," the Doctor said. "I'm not going on the record but I'm releasing the information we agreed on. You're both very happy and doing great."

Clara nodded, even though the Doctor couldn't see it through the phone. She knows what he means. Her own phone had been vibrating non-stop since the news broke. People she knew but weren't very close to her wanted to know if it was true. Her friends wanted to know how she was doing. Even Taylor Swift had texted her offering her support if she needed to talk to someone while the storm passed, and added how happy she was for both of them. "There's one email I would like to talk to you about, though. It's from Nike's PR department."

The footballer grew worried. "Am I fired?"

"No! No, like I said, they can't fire you over this. But they say they have a proposal for you and they would like to set a meeting. And they're inviting Amy, too."

Now she was downright suspicious. "What could they possibly want from us?"

"I don't know. They're being mysterious about it. I would normally say no straight away, but then again we're not under normal circumstances…"

Clara sighed. She couldn't exactly piss off her sponsors. She needed them to support her charity work, and word travels fast in the business. If word spread that she was impossible to work with or unreliable, it would be the end for her. "I'll talk to Amy about it."

* * *

A few days later, Clara sat in the same office where she had signed her contract with the company. The Doctor was sitting to her right, Amy sat to her left, holding her hand under the table.

The same man who had walked her through her campaign when she had been signed entered the room. It seemed crazy that not so long ago, in that same room, Clara had been daydreaming about the girl that was now by her side. Back then, she had worried that Amy wouldn't stand the heat of their relationship being so exposed. Now, it seemed that the model had taken everything better than her. It was only one of the things that made her perfect in Clara's eyes.

"Clara, what a pleasure to see you again. And it's wonderful to meet you too, Amy." He shook both girls' hands.

After a little monologue on how great Clara's football campaign was doing and how well her boots were selling, he cut to the chase. "Okay, I'll go straight to the point. We want to sign you, Amy."

Clara's eyes widened, and Amy's lips parted and rounded. None of them had been expecting that. The Doctor's eyebrows rose to his hairline.

"We want to redo our entire Nike Women's Summer campaign to have you as our model." Amy was speechless. It was a huge opportunity, and they all knew it. "We'll clear with your team asap if you say yes. There's just one condition."

 _I knew it_ , Clara thought to herself. She looked down at their still joined hands. Amy gave her a reassuring squeeze. "We want your first official public appearance as a couple to be at a Nike event. We might also plan for a joint campaign in the future, and to arrange a spread in a magazine."

"We think you have the potential to become the biggest power couple in Britain, and we want to be a part of it."

The executive left the room to give them some time to consider the offer. The footballer was staring at the side of her girlfriend's face intently. This was a great opportunity, the kind that they may never get again. Almost anything would be possible for them with that kind of exposure, but the thought of letting the world into their relationship so much made Clara uneasy.

Amy let out a tiny giggle and turned to Clara for the first time.

"It would be so much fun to do a photoshoot with you. I bet we would drive the photographer crazy."

Clara was bewildered. She felt pretty close to having another panic attack. Her breathing became heavy. "You want to do this?"

"That's not what I said." Amy's hand left Clara's and cupped the brunette's cheek. "It's an incredible opportunity. I'm glad my agent doesn't know about it because she would kill me if I turned it down. That being said, I can see that they want to make our relationship part of their insane publicity stunt. I may be a model, but I'm not completely dumb," she joked.

She whispered the next words, reminding Clara of the times in their bubble that had become her room, anchoring her to reality. "I'm not doing anything you're not comfortable with."

Clara didn't know what to answer. On the one hand, she really didn't want to accept. She didn't want to use her relationship with Amy for someone to make a profit. On the other hand, this could open so many doors for them. It would be Amy's biggest campaign to date, and it would certainly make her career sky-rocket. Clara could use this to expand her audience, to get to even more young girls all over the country, maybe even the world. Part of her wanted to do this with Amy, and it scared her.

She looked towards the Doctor, silently asking him to voice his thoughts.

"As your manager, I don't have to tell you that this is huge and any other manager would tell you to accept. As your friend, I think this might help establish you as a strong couple. It might win you some space after this storm is over. They'll never stop chasing you of course, but if you share a little, something that you can control at the right time, you'll buy some freedom."

Amy squeezed her hand again, her thumb tracing patterns on the back of Clara's hand.

"I'm not in love with this idea but it might be good for us. It's not going to be easy, but we knew it wouldn't be. I'm still here, and I still love you."

There was a pause. "Okay," Clara said, and she almost couldn't believe her own words as she spoke them.

Amy smiled and pulled up from her chair to kiss her girlfriend. In a way, she was relieved that they didn't have to hide anymore. She could go and tell everyone that Clara Oswald was her girlfriend.

They sent the Doctor to call back the executive. Agreeing to this wouldn't come cheap for the company, and the couple made it clear. Apart from the money, Clara made sure to include in the contract that the company had to support a charity of her choice for the length of their partnership with her, as well making donations to other organizations, and that the cameras would be off the second they asked for it. It was a very advantageous contract, for both parties.

Clara only hoped that by signing it, she wasn't signing their relationship's death certificate.

* * *

 _"-...well then I have great news for you, Kelly, because everyone's favourite couple 'Pondswald' made its first official appearance as a couple! We had seen them around town and a little on social media, we had off-the-record confirmation that they are together, but last night Clara Oswald and Amy Pond attended the launch party for Nike Women's summer campaign, which Amy stars. Here we have them holding hands at the photo call. They looked gorgeous._

 _-They look amazing, Ryan! Clara wore Burberry, a beautiful short dress from their new collection, and Amy wore this impeccable, tailor-made white Armani suit...I have to say, I haven't seen a couple look this good since Brangelina…"_

* * *

Like a piece of meat in a shark tank. That's how Clara felt in the weeks after her relationship with Amy became public. Everyone wanted something of her, from the BBC, to Graham Norton, to Ellen and James Corden in the States. It seemed that her phone would never stop ringing, her inbox would be permanently filled.

Through all of it, Amy was great. She was a much better guest than Clara was. She smiled, told funny stories -and actually made them sound funny-, she blushed when asked about their relationship. She played the part of a lovesick sweetheart, and she did it brilliantly. Of course, Clara knew -and still couldn't quite believe- that Amy really did love her. She didn't only _pretend_ for the cameras, but she did exaggerate her reactions to best manipulate her audience, giving them what they wanted and then directing their attention elsewhere. Clara never quite figured out how to do that: how to be famous.

Clara did do some interviews. It was part of the Doctor's plan and she knew whatever he said would be in her best interest. But her interviews were different from Amy's. She was more nervous and gave shorter answers. She couldn't really elaborate by herself, but rather had to be prompted to tell stories or give details. Yet, though this exposure was way beyond anything she had experienced before, she had been in the spotlight for long enough to have picked up a few tricks. She knew how to fake a smile.

Yet, as awful as the appearances seemed to go for Clara, the rest of the world seemed to disagree. Her friends, her gran, everyone kept telling her how she seemed to glow when she spoke of Amy. Her smile changed. It became something true, something genuine. Clara didn't know if it was true, but rewatched the interviews in search of hints anyway. It wasn't healthy to obsess like that, and if Amy had been there, she probably would have said so. But Amy wasn't there: she was off traveling the world like she always had to during fashion week season. So Clara was free to obsess over her own words and train just a little too hard.

Training was comfortable and familiar, something that she knew and didn't have to think through. Her friends were there, and they knew better than to keep asking her about Amy. They didn't ask and she didn't offer, she issued commands and pushed them to do their best. Clara played, Clara scored, Clara missed Amy. She told her journal at night that she felt like a ghost, and when she was done writing, she put on one of Amy's shirts and she went to sleep. The next day she did it all over again.

By the time Amy came home, the world was not so loud anymore. This was the moment of freedom they had been waiting for. They went up to Scotland for the weekend, a little town near where Amy was born. They got lost among the trees and for some time Clara could pretend it was still just them, trapped in a snow globe but not wanting to leave anyway.

Eventually, the globe broke and the couple had to go back to the real world. Amy had commitments to attend to and Clara had a Champions League semifinal to win.

* * *

Clara did not win the Champions League semifinal.

Clara _lost_ the Champions League semifinal.

Clara felt like a complete, utter failure.

The captain began questioning herself as a leader. In reality, there wasn't anything she could have done differently. In sports, as in life, you win some and you lose some, and sometimes it's really not your fault. It was no one's fault. The others were just better.

But although Clara knew this, this time it felt worse. Not only was a whole team counting on her for this, the country was counting on her for the World Cup, and she couldn't prove now an unfit leader. Most importantly, Amy had been there. Amy had been up in a box, cheering and wearing her jersey and Clara had dreamt about moving onto the final and winning the trophy she had pictured Amy running into her arms, bursting with happiness and kissing her then and there for the whole world to see. Now, she wouldn't get that chance and Clara couldn't help but think that in that moment she wasn't worthy of Amy. She hadn't done her job.

Amy finally went into the locker room because Clara was taking too long to come out. The model simply sat next to her girlfriend, waiting for her to talk. Just when Amy thought that she wouldn't, Clara's weak voice echoed in the empty room.

"I'm sorry we lost."

Amy put her arms around the footballer and pulled her close. Clara immediately started crying and mumbling incoherent sentences.

Once in their home (it was really Clara's apartment and they hadn't really made any arrangements, but that was where they were spending most of their time), Amy prepared the bathtub for Clara. She undressed her girlfriend and helped her into the water. Her hair was still wet from the shower after the game, so Amy pulled it into a bun. She brought glasses of wine for both of them and sat on the floor next to the bathtub, absentmindedly rubbing Clara's arm.

"You were amazing," Amy finally said. "You _are_ amazing. And smart, and kind, and beautiful. There'll be other games...But no matter what happens, you are amazing to me. Nothing's gonna change that."

A single tear slid down Clara's cheek and fell into the water. She felt relaxed, at peace, and that was new for her after losing an important game. If this was Amy picking her up, the disappointment was almost bearable. She wouldn't question herself (as much) for a month after this. Amy still believed in her, and that was all she needed for the time being.


End file.
